Kuroko no Basket: NEW!
by LunaricFairy12
Summary: The Generation of Miracles. We all think that there are only five of them, but that's not true. There's actually ten of them, and the other half are girls. They are not players however, instead they are managers, each with special abilities. While there's a Phantom Sixth man, there's an Unknown Manager as well. Which Miracle will win in the end?
1. Chapter 1 I am Kuroko

**The Teiko Junior High basketball club, an incredibly strong team with over one hundred members and three consecutive champion wins. Amongst their brilliant record, the generation of five prodigies was known as the 'Generation of Miracles.' There was also a group which consisted of five people who played a huge role in the victories of the 'Generation of Miracles'. They were known as the other part of the 'Generation of Miracles.' However, there was a strange rumor concerning them. Despite being relatively unknown, and lacking a game record, there was one more member recognized by the five prodigies, a phantom sixth man. But, there is another rumor. Despite being sighted in every game of the 'Generation of Miracles', there was a person who's abilities were unknown. It wasn't known that that person's abilities had played a role in the victories of the 'Generation of Miracles'. Those abilities were acknowledged by the 'Generation of Miracles', and only they have seen it it in action…**

**Kuroko no Basket: NEW!**

**Chapter 1: I am Kuroko**

It was the start of high school. The sakura trees were in bloom and the petals fluttered to the ground as the wind blew softly. The roads were literally painted pink, and the scene showed that spring was here. There was a girl who was walking through the road that was littered with sakura petals. A bag was slung over her shoulder, and her shoulder length black hair swayed in the breeze. Her ruby red eyes glanced up at her new school, Seirin High.

She stopped in front of the school building. Students were going in, and she followed them. She heard many different people advertizing for their clubs. None of the clubs particularly interested her, until she heard the word, 'Basketball'

She stopped and turned around to see where the voice came from. It came from three guys holding flyers, and was giving them out.

"Basketball! Basketball! Basketball club! How would you like to join the basketball club?" One of them shouted.

"Koganei, you can't be serious." One of the guys said to the boy.

"How else am I supposed to say it?" The boy who was shouting asked.

She lost interest in their conversation after that and continued walking.

'_Basketball club… Maybe I'll go check it out.' _She thought as she walked. Soon she stepped in front of a board that showed where the clubs were. She searched for the word 'Basketball' and when she found it; she smiled a barely visible smile.

She walked around until she found the registration stand for the club. She saw a girl with short brown hair talking to a black haired boy wearing glasses. She stopped in front of them and spoke up,

"Excuse me, but may I join the basketball club?"

"Huh?" The girl turned to her. She stared at her for a while before saying, "I'm sorry, but this is a club for boys' basketball, not girls. So I'm afraid we can't accept-"

"What about a manager?" She cut her off. "I wanted to join as a manager, not a player."

The short haired girl stared at her. Then she broke into a smile, "Sure! You can join! Just write your name here, and your reason."

The ruby eyed girl nodded and she wrote her name and reason down. A few seconds later, she put down her pencil and bowed. "I look forward to joining."

And with that, she left.

Riko smiled. _'She seems like a nice girl. We could use someone like that.' _She quickly glanced at the paper in her hands before her eyes widened.

**Name: **_Sanada Mayumi_

_Love for basketball,_ _former manager of_ _Teiko Junior High's basketball club_

"T-Teiko?!" She exclaimed, and Hyuuga turned to her.

"What's wrong?"

"This girl!" Riko thrust the paper out to Hyuuga. "She's the former manager for Teiko!"

"Teiko?" Hyuuga questioned. "The famous school?"

"Yes!" She almost shouted. "Where the Generation of Miracles are from! And if she was the manager for them… Do you know how much we can improve?!" Riko was getting excited.

"A guy who learned basketball from America, a player from the Generation of Miracles, and a manager for them!" She counted. "And they're all first-years! This year's first years will be ridiculous!"

…

Mayumi took a deep breath. She was standing in front of the school's gym, and she was going to meet Seirin's basketball club. She slowly opened the doors to the gym.

To her surprise, there was only the girl and the boy she met when she was registering there. Maybe she came too early. She stepped into the big gym and saw that the two were busily talking. It looks like they haven't noticed her yet.

She slowly and lightly walked towards them. They still didn't notice her. Softly, she tapped her finger on the girl's shoulder, which caused her to turn in surprise and yelp.

"Y-You!" She pointed at Mayumi. "When did you get here?"

"A few minutes ago." She replied, her eyes blank. The girl stared at her.

'_I can't believe I didn't notice her…' _Riko thought. Sighing, she nodded her head.

"Okay. Let's start by introducing ourselves shall we? I'm Aida Riko, the coach for Seirin's basketball team. And this is Hyuuga Junpei, the captain." Riko pointed to the boy. Mayumi bowed.

"I'm Sanada Mayumi. Nice to meet you, Aida -senpai and Hyuuga-senpai." Riko laughed.

"You don't have to be so formal. Just call me coach like everyone else does." Mayumi slowly nodded.

"Okay coach. So, what do I have to do?" Riko took a moment to think.

"Well there's nothing for you to do until all the first years are here so you can wait over there." Riko said, pointing at the bench in the gym. Mayumi nodded and made her way towards the bench.

Hyuuga inspected the black haired girl. A little shorter than most girls, shoulder length hair, she didn't seem to stand out most from other people. However, it wasn't until he saw her ruby red eyes than he knew she was different. They were blank with a hint of gentleness. He felt like he was being watched by those blank eyes with every step he took.

Meanwhile, Mayumi sat on the bench and looked at the captain and coach carefully. She never really had anytime to properly inspect them properly. Hyuuga Junpei was a guy with average height, short spiky black hair and was wearing glasses. Aida Riko had short brown hair and was taller than her. Her eyes sharpened slightly.

Hyuuga Junpei. He seemed to be an average guy, but there was something that made him special. Something that Mayumi couldn't figure out, yet.

Aida Riko. She radiated of power, the true aura of a great leader.

Both were special, she could at least tell that much. If the entire Seirin team was like that, then… Mayumi's mind started to act on its own, creating scenes of them fighting against other schools, battling for the Winter Cup…

_No, calm down. It's still too fast to think about that._

Soon, there were many people inside the gym. All the first years were assembled along with the second years. . Mayumi took her time analyzing them carefully.

They were pretty normal, except for one guy that sort of stood out. He was the tallest member, with crimson red hair and equally red eyes. His face was serious, and he gave off a dangerous aura, similar to a wild tiger. From what Mayumi could see, he had strong legs, and powerful arms. He could easily make a dunk, she thought. Maybe those legs could be used for something too. Other than him, she didn't find anybody else who gave off such a powerful aura like the crimson haired boy.

Mayumi looked around. There was supposed to be one more member, but she couldn't seem to find him…

"Mayumi-chan!" She heard Riko call to her. She faced the short haired girl and Riko said, "Come over here!"

She complied. She walked towards Riko. Instead of Hyuuga, an elderly man was next to her. Riko smiled at her.

"Mayumi-chan, this is Takeda sensei, he's our advisor."

Mayumi nodded politely and bowed. "It is nice to meet you Takeda sensei. I am Sanada Mayumi."

The elderly man nodded softly at her. Riko then put her hands on Mayumi's shoulders and turned her around to face the first years.

"This is Sanada Mayumi. She is registering to be the club's manager, so treat her nicely!" Mayumi bowed deeply. She heard two of the first years whispering,

"She's going to our manager? She looks too delicate to be in the basketball club though."

"Yeah, I figured someone like her were to join a culture club, not a sports club."

Her eyes darkened slightly. People often underestimated her in basketball because she looked too weak. She hated that, but she came to expect it every time she told someone she was in the basketball club. They were right, she wasn't good at sports but that didn't mean she was worthless. She'd show them, she'd show them that she can do something…

Riko cleared her throat. Mayumi straightened and walked to the side, facing Riko after that.

"Now that you're acquainted with Takeda sensei and Mayumi-chan, you guys..." She paused before talking again in a louder voice, "Take off your shirts!"

It went silent. Mayumi swore she could hear a pin drop for a second.

"Huh?"

And here come surprise.

"What! Why!" All the first years said, surprised. Riko only smirked.

Soon, all the first years were lined up with their shirts off. Riko walked in front of one of them, inspecting him for a second before saying,

"Your ability to move instantaneously is a little weak. I bet you do 50 side jumps in 20 seconds don't you? You'll need to do a little better for the basketball club."

The guy stuttered. "O-okay."

Just like that, she looked over all the first years and started to list off all their weakness. The first years were all surprised, and even Mayumi was a little shocked.

'_She could tell their weakness just by looking at their body? Wow…' _She thought just as Hyuuga began speaking.

"Her father's a sport's trainer." He stated. "He was always recording data in order to make training menus. She gained the skill after spending so much time at his workplace and observing bodies and data. By looking at a person's body," He glanced at her. "Her eyes see all its abilities and stats in numbers."

'_So that's her ability…'_ Mayumi hid a smile. _Interesting._

"Well, that's not the only reason why she's coach though."

She watched Riko list off all the weakness of each player, until she stopped at one. Mayumi realized it was the super tall guy that stood out from the others. She saw Riko's eyes widened, and Mayumi took a look at him too. Almost instantly, her eyes widened a little, before reverting back to normal. Even without Riko's power, anyone could tell that he was a lot stronger than any player in the team. Power, speed, flexibility… He exiled in them all.

Any normal person would be shocked.

But not her, for she had already seen too many monsters like him before.

Her daze was cut off by the captain. "Coach, how long are you both going to daydream?" Riko's dazed eyes returned to normal, and she apologized.

"So-Sorry! So uh…"

"You saw everyone right? That guy was the last one." Hyuuga told her. Riko nodded.

"Oh, really?"

Something clicked in Mayumi. She had a feeling somebody was missing… Wait, what about-

"Was Kuroko-kun here?" Riko asked. Hyuuga eyes widened in realization.

"Ah! That's right, the guy from Teiko Middle school!"

"Eh?"

"Teiko? You mean that Teiko?!"

Shocked voices were heard.

"Kuroko? Is Kuroko here?!"

Some became to look around for him. Mayumi frowned. This was odd. He should be here, somewhere… Quickly scanning the environment, she spotted somebody with light blue hair. He was right next to the coach, and nobody noticed.

Except for her. She smiled softly.

'_There you are… And I thought you weren't here….'_

Riko scratched the back of her head. "I guess he's taking the day off today. Well then, let's start practice!"

At that moment, the boy with light blue hair spoke up along with Mayumi.

"Erm, excuse me…"

"Eh?" Riko seemed confused for a second, until she registered that somebody was standing in front of her. Somebody she never saw before…

"I am Kuroko."

It took a moment. Then, her eyes widened.

"KYAAA!"

"Wha-What?!" A second year seemed to not notice Kuroko for a moment. Then his eyes focused on the light blue haired boy in front of Riko. "EHH?! Since when were you there?!"

Kuroko blinked. "I was there since the beginning."

"Seriously?!"

Mayumi stifled a chuckle.

'_He never changes… Does he?' _She smiled as she saw the other members fret.

"Eh? That means that this guy is from the 'Generation of Miracles'?"

"Does that mean he's a regular?"

"He can't be, right Kuroko-kun?" Mayumi frowned at that. They were judging him on appearance… Like every other people.

"…? I have played in matches before though." Kuroko answered.

"See, just what… Eh?"

"Eh, eh?"

"EHHHHHH?!"

Unbelievable cries echoed through the gym.

Taking that moment, she decided to talk to him, the person she's been waiting to see. She tapped his shoulder lightly. He turned around, only for his light blue eyes to meet with her ruby red ones. He blinked in confusion.

"Ma…Mayumi-chan?" He said, almost hesitantly. She smiled and nodded.

"Hey, Tetsuya-kun." He seemed to get over his confusion, and smiled, almost unnoticeably, back at her.

"Hello to you too."

Riko stared at them in confusion. Then she remembered that Mayumi was part of Teiko's basketball club too. So of course, she should have known him, but then why…?

"Mayumi-chan?"

"Yes?" She gave the female coach a questioning look.

"If you were in the same school as him before, why didn't you notice him?" She asked. Mayumi blinked softly, before taking a moment to think. A few seconds later, she answered,

"It's hard to find him when he's not usually able to find very easily. Even though I knew him for a few years, sometimes I can't get used to it still. But," She glanced at Kuroko. "I did notice him faster than all everybody else did, coach."

Riko sighed. "Okay. Now-" She looked at Kuroko. "Take off your shirt!"

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the tall red head stare at Kuroko with a frown on his face.

Mayumi frowned softly as she saw the female coach's reaction to seeing Kuroko's body. It was one of shock and pure disbelief. _This will be an interesting year…_

…

After practice, she caught up to Kuroko was ready to leave.

"Tetsuya-kun!" He turned around to see her running towards him.

"Mayumi-chan." He nodded in acknowledgement. She smiled softly at him.

"Want to go back together?" She offered. Kuroko smiled softly.

"Sure."

Together, they walked home together. Mayumi was staring at the sky slowly turning orange, and Kuroko just looked straight ahead. Her hands were tucked behind her back, and his was at his sides. It was silent, a comfortable silence, and only the sound of passing cars were heard between the two of them. Mayumi broke the silence by saying,

"It's nice to be able to walk home together again." Kuroko was a little surprised at her sudden sentence, but he nodded.

"Yes, it really has been a while hasn't it?" Mayumi smiled.

"I missed it you know, Tetsuya-kun."

Kuroko smiled gently. "Me too, Mayumi-chan."

They continued walking, they sky turning dark. It wasn't until they both heard the sound of a basketball nearby. They looked at where the sound was coming from, and it came from a tall red-headed boy who was playing at a nearby court.

"Is that…"

"Kagami-kun." He nodded, confirming. Mayumi tilted her head to the side softly. What was he doing so late?

Suddenly, without warning, he started to walk in Kagami's direction. Mayumi looked at him questionably, but followed him anyway.

They both walked into the court without Kagami noticing. He was too focused on playing. Kuroko gestured for Mayumi to stay at the side, and she nodded sitting on the bench nearby. He then walked next to the hoop and stopped. At first, Kagami didn't notice him. But a second later, he saw him when he was about to shoot, and faltered slightly, but shot anyway. His shot didn't make it in, and the ball bounced off the hoop and into Kuroko's hands.

"You… Since when…"

"Hello."

"Hello Kagami-san." He turned to the side to meet Mayumi's eyes staring at him. He almost did a double-take.

"You too?!" He scowled slightly. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Kuroko kept his blank look. "What are _you _doing here by yourself?" he threw the ball back to Kagami.

He caught it. "Nothing. I'm not doing anything."

"Is that so?"

"It didn't seem like nothing to me." Mayumi said. Kagami scowled again.

It was silent for a brief second until he spoke up again, "I was in America until my second year of middle school." Mayumi looked at him in interest.

He continued, "I've been appalled ever since I came back by how low the levels are here. I'm not looking to play basketball for fun." His look darkened slightly. "I want to play in a match that gets my blood boiling at full strength."

A wind blew softly, ruffling Mayumi's skirt as he talked. "I heard all about you. I heard all about the supposedly strong 'Generation of Miracles' from our year. You were on that team, weren't you?"

Mayumi eyes narrowed slightly. What was he trying to…?

"I have a pretty good sense of how good others are." He spun the ball on his finger. "Strong guys have a peculiar smell about them." He threw the ball to Kuroko, who caught it. "But you're strange."

"The weak should smell weak but you…" He paused for a moment, before continuing,

"You don't smell like anything, and your strength has no scent."

Mayumi hid a smile. So that's how he sees Kuroko…

'_Interesting.'_

"Let me see. Show me just how good your 'Generation of Miracles' really is." Kuroko was silent, and Mayumi observed him carefully.

"… What a coincidence." Her eyes widened slightly. Was he actually thinking of playing against him?

"I've also been hoping to play against you too." He took off his jersey. "One on one."

Kagami smirked. "Want to go?"

…

Mayumi sat on the bench at the sidelines, Kuroko's jersey folded neatly on her lap as she observed them carefully. As she expected, Kuroko was easily outmatched by Kagami. Seeing as he had a disbelieving look on his face the whole time he's been playing, she knew that he thought Kuroko was nothing special at all. Her eyes darkened slightly. She hated when people did that to him, because she was the same too.

"You got to be kidding me." Kagami said as Kuroko came back to him after getting the ball which was rolling away. "Have you been listening?" He was starting to raise his voice in anger. "How much do you have to overestimate your own abilities to think you can beat me?!" He pointed a finger at Kuroko. "I can't believe how arrogantly you challenged me!"

Kuroko kept his monotone expression. "Of course not." He blinked. "It's obvious that you're stronger than me. I knew that before we started."

Mayumi swore she saw a vein pop on Kagami's head. He grabbed the front of Kuroko's shirt, bringing him up to his eyes level. "Are you trying to pick a fight? What the hell do you think were you doing?" Mayumi tensed. What was he going to do?

"I wanted to see how good you were for myself." Kuroko stated.

"Ha?" To her relief, he let go off Kuroko's shirt and sighed, putting his hand on his forehead in exasperation. Mayumi frowned softly at his expression.

"Um…?" Kuroko held up the ball in question.

"Huh? Oh, enough. I'm not interested in the weak." He started to walk to the bench and grab his things.

"Let me tell you one more thing."

He glanced at Mayumi before returning his attention to Kuroko. "You should quit basketball." Mayumi's fists clenched tightly.

"However much you try to cover it up with nice words like effort, raw talent is a fact of life. You've got no talent for basketball." He started to walk away, but Mayumi stood up. That was it. She walked to him, her blank expression cleverly hiding her rage. She stood right in front of him.

"Kagami."

"Huh?" He focused on her. "What do you want?"

"I don't like it when you insult my friends. " She stated, her gaze narrowing. "No matter what you think, Tetsuya is not weak. He's not even close to weak." He scowled.

"Are you kidding me?! He didn't even stand a chance against me!" She scowled quietly, a rare action that even surprised Kuroko. "That's because his abilities lies somewhere else."

"Huh?" He sent a questioning glance to the black haired girl who started to walk to Kuroko, handing him his jersey. She glanced at him. "His powers aren't the offensive type, meaning that he's completely different from you. I'll admit that you're strong, but Tetsuya's strong too. I know that he loves basketball more than anyone else, so don't look down on him and say stupid things like that, because I really hate it when people do."

Kuroko was a little surprised at her sudden anger towards Kagami, but then he saw her clenched fists that she tried to hide under the long sleeves of her sweater. His eyes softened a little, but resumed to their blank look once again.

"Che, whatever." Kagami turned, but was interrupted by Kuroko.

"Kagami-kun."

"Huh?" He turned around.

"My answer to your previous statement is, I don't want to." He said bluntly. Kagami stared at him in disbelief and confusion.

"What?"

"First of all, I love basketball, and I don't share your opinion. I don't care who's strong or who's weak. "

"What did you say?"

"Like Mayumi-chan said, I'm not like you." He paused for a moment before speaking up again.

"I'm a shadow."

…

After their encounter with Kagami, they both resumed walking back home. Along the way, the stopped at Maji burger to buy a drink, and then they continued again.

"Tetsuya-kun." Mayumi spoke up as she drank her strawberry milkshake. Kuroko stopped and glanced at her, sipping his vanilla milkshake.

"Are you going to reveal your abilities tomorrow?" She asked quietly. Kuroko didn't answer. He just drank his milkshake. When they stopped in front of her house, he answered,

"You will see, Mayumi-chan. But, please be looking forward to when I do." He smiled at her softly, surprising her a little. She felt a small smile tug at her lips too.

"Okay then. I'll take your word for it." His eyes softened before she waved goodbye as he walked to his house, which was just right across the street. Her eyes softened as she stared at his retreating back. Smiling softly, she opened the door and entered her house to meet her mother's smiling expression.

"Mayumi."

"Yes, mom?"

"Was that Kuroko-kun?" Mayumi blinked softly, before smiling up at her. "Yes, it was."

"I'm glad that you two can walk home together again." Her mother said. She patted the top of her head before walking into the kitchen.

"Hurry up! Dinner's waiting!" Mayumi chuckled gently before following her mother.

After dinner, shower and doing her homework, she picked up a small blue diary cleverly hidden in a hidden drawer and started to write in it.

_2009/4/1 Wednesday_

_Dear diary,_

_Today was fun. I joined the basketball club. Here are the players:_

_2__nd__ Years_

_Coach: Aida Riko_

_Captain: Hyuuga Junpei_

_Izuki Shun_

_Mitobe Rinnosuke_

_Koganei Shinji_

_Tsuchida Satoshi_

_1__st__ years_

_Kuroko Tetsuya_

_Kagami Taiga_

_Furihata Kouki_

_Kawahara Kouichi_

_Fukuda Hiroshi_

_That's all. I met Tetsuya-kun too. He was the same as ever, monotone and blank. But, it's good to know some things haven't changed. _

_There is another player that catches my interest though. Kagami Taiga. Red hair and equally red eyes, though his eyes are a shade darker than mine, he is really tall with powerful arms and equally powerful legs. His eyebrows are kind of weird though._

_I'm sure he will be a great asset to the team._

_Leaving that aside, the downside is that his personality is similar to Daiki's. I'm afraid that he'll end up like him. I don't want… I don't want a repeat of what happened during Teiko. Not again, I don't want to go through the same thing ever again. _

…_Sorry about that. Just… Just forget it._

_But, anyway, the coach, Aida Riko is amazing too. She can see a player's physical abilities in numbers. _

_After practice, I managed to walk home with Tetsuya-kun, which was comforting. We also met Kagami at a court near a park where Tetsuya-kun challenged him. I kind of got angry after the match because he told Tetsuya-kun that he should quit basketball because e has no talent for it._

_Thinking about it gets me angry. That's not good, I can't sleep for tomorrow._

_After the encounter, we just walked home, bought a strawberry milkshake for me and a vanilla milkshake for him (He never changes, does he?) and we parted ways after reaching to my house._

_It was an eventful day._

_I wonder how tomorrow will turn out._

_10:30 Sanada Mayumi_

After writing, she closed the book and hid it again. Turning off the lights, she crawled into the bed. Staring at the starry sky one more time, she closed her eyes and fell into a peaceful slumber.

The next day, it was raining hard. Riko decided that the 1st years and the 2nd years will play a minigame against each other. Mayumi sat on the bench, observing them. She heard that when the 2nd years were in their 1st year, they made it to the final league. Mayumi was honestly quite surprised when she found out. Soon, she heard a whistle blow, signaling the start of the game.

She observed their every move. Kagami was amazing, she admitted. He was powerful, and like she suspected, was able to dunk like it was no problem. For him, it probably wasn't. But the other 1st years weren't doing so much. Kagami was the only one scoring points, and she hoped that they will not be too reliant on him only, for it could cause problems in the future. Her gaze flitted to Kuroko.

He wasn't doing so well, she noted. He kept getting the ball stolen, and the other 1st years had slightly agitated looks on their faces. She frowned slightly and looked down at her slightly clenched fists.

'_Just when are you going to show them… Tetsuya?'_

All of a sudden, Mayumi felt something in the air change. She immediately looked up again and her eyes widened slightly. Three 2nd years were blocking Kagami. Her eyes narrowed. They were trying to stop him from scoring, and by the looks of it, it was working. Kagami gritted his teeth in irritation.

Even when Kagami wasn't holding the ball, two of them were teaming up against him. They really didn't want him to even touch the ball, did they? Mayumi let out a soft smirk. This would be interesting…

Soon, the tables were turning. The 2nd years were ahead of the 1st years. The score was 15:31

All the 1st years were sweating and panting. Just then, one of them said something that Mayumi couldn't hear. But as soon as he said it, Kagami grabbed the front of his shirt and brought him up to eye level. He was starting to shout. Mayumi moved the same time Kuroko did.

Mayumi reached him the same time Kuroko did too. He hit the back of Kagami's knees, and she jabbed her fingers into his side. Letting out a small gasp, he let go off the guy.

"Please calm down." Kuroko told him.

"It's not good to get worked up so easily." Mayumi continued. Kagami twitched.

"You two…" He turned around, a dark aura enveloping him. The other 1st years wore horrified looks on their faces.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" He started to shout. Mayumi and Kuroko both wore the same blank looks as they received Kagami's rage. She could keep a good poker face if she tried, though she didn't like it that he was yelling at her like that. The other 1st years were trying to calm him down but were failing. Mayumi frowned, clenching her fists,

"Kagami."

"What?!" He yelled, pissed.

"Getting worked up like that will do nothing." She said bluntly, which caused him to pause for a second. "Keep your head cool. Tetsuya," She turned to him. "I think it's about time."

He nodded. "I was planning to."

She nodded in return. She then averted her gaze to the first years. "I need all of you to stay calm. I have something to tell all of you."

The 1st years shot questioning looks to her. She continued, "During the match, there may be incoming passes that might surprise you, but you can't falter, understand? Receive that pass no matter what, and try to score. Don't let the 2nd years intimidate you just because they're older. I can't say much anymore, but if you just follow what I say, I assure you everything will turn out fine in the end." Finishing, she swiftly turned and walked towards the bench again. She could everyone's gaze on her, but she ignored them. If she had waited for a second, she would have seen Kuroko smile faintly at her.

'_She's completely into it… And she just tried to help in her own way.'_

"Excuse me." Kuroko caught Fukuda's attention. "Could just pass the ball randomly to me?"

"Huh?" He sent a questioning gaze to Kuroko, but the match started before he could ask. Soon, he was in possession of the ball and a 2nd year that was trying to block him. He gritted his teeth for a second before passing the ball to Kuroko.

'_Just don't try and lose it!'_

All of a sudden, Mayumi saw the ball being flung in a different direction than before. It headed towards the direction Furihata was running in. He was stunned at first but then remembered Mayumi's words,

"_During the match, there may be incoming passes that might surprise you, but you can't falter, understand? Receive that pass no matter what, and score."_

He shook his head and looked up, determination in his eyes. He received the pass and without hesitation, he threw the ball into the hoop. The 2nd years stared unbelievably at what just happened.

"It went… Eh?" Hyuuga blinked in surprise and push up his glasses. "How did that pass go through?"

Mayumi smirked slightly at seeing Riko's shocked face. The game was just getting started.

During the match, surprising passes would come out of nowhere. The 1st years passed to Kuroko, and in a moment, the ball was headed in a different direction and into the hands of another player. Of course, people who received those passes were shocked at first, but then remembered Mayumi's words and managed to score in the end.

Meanwhile, Mayumi was smiling softly in satisfaction.

'_It's been a while since I've seen him use it. His ability, 'Misdirection.'"_

Misdirection. The act of drawing someone's attention from something else. That's exactly what Kuroko was doing. Most would think that he was weakening his already weak presence, but that wasn't it. He was directing his opponent's attention elsewhere, fooling their senses and then stepping in unexpectedly. The time he's holding the ball was very short, and he was quick in passing.

That was Kuroko's special ability.

The tables turned once again, this time in favor of the 1st years. Thanks to Kuroko's passes, they caught up with the 2nd years until they were a point away. (36:37)

When the ball was in possession of a 2nd year, a 1st year stole the ball, and Kuroko received it. He then started to dribble towards the hoop, eyes focused solely on one thing.

"Go, Kuroko!" Cheering was heard, and Mayumi smiled.

The 2nd years were trying to catch up to him, but it was useless. With a soft grunt, Kuroko jumped and attempted to score. But, it missed, causing some shocked looks, but it faded as quickly as it came. The reason was because of Kagami.

He grabbed the ball before it hit the ground. He scowled.

"That's why I hate the weak!" He dunked the ball in viciously. "You have to make the shot, dumbass!"A faint smile flickered over Kuroko and Mayumi's faces at his statement.

…

After the game, Kuroko and Mayumi walked home together. It was quiet between the two of them until Mayumi broke the silence,

"It was fun."

"…?"

"It was fun watching you play again." She stopped, causing him to stop as well. She looked at him straight in the eye.

"I really missed watching you play, Tetsuya-kun." He smiled gently at her statement.

"Why don't we rest a little here?" Kuroko gestured to the restaurant, Maji Burger, close by. Mayumi chuckled softly and nodded.

Together, they both entered the restaurant and bought a strawberry milkshake and a vanilla milkshake separately. They took their seats at a window, and drank in silence. Suddenly, a tall figure appeared out of nowhere and plopped into the seat in front of them with a huge pile of burgers. He opened one and bit into it, looking out the window. Mayumi stared at the huge pile of burgers.

'_How much can he eat exactly…?'_

He then seemed to have noticed the two of them, because he nearly choked. Swallowing the burger a little forcefully, he let out a small gasp.

"Hello." Kuroko said blankly.

"Where'd you guys come from, and what are you doing?!"

"We were sitting here first." Mayumi stated, sipping her milkshake. "You just sat in front of us."

"I like the vanilla shakes here, and Mayumi-chan took a liking to the strawberry milkshakes here too." Kuroko said.

Kagami scoffed slightly. "Go to a different place."

Together, they both said at the same time. "I don't want to."

Kagami scowled and started to look around. "If someone sees us, they'll think we're friends!"

"So?" Mayumi blinked.

"This is our usual hangout anyway." Kuroko told him. "After practice, we usually stop by here to have a drink."

Kagami stared at them for a while before sighing. He grabbed two burgers, and handed both of them each. "Here."

They caught it and looked at him questionably. He gazed outside the window.

"I don't like guys who suck at basketball." Mayumi frowned softly. After today, did he still think that Kuroko was weak?

"But," He smirked. "You earned yourselves one of those."

Kuroko stared at the burger in his hands for a moment before looking up, a miniscule smile gracing his lips. "Thank you."

Mayumi's eyes softened. She looked at him straight in the eye and smiled softly. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all…

"Thank you… Taiga."

After eating at Maji Burger, the three of them walked home together.

"Just how strong is the 'Generation of Miracles'? " Kagami asked them. "If I played against them now, how would I do?"

Mayumi answered him bluntly. "You'd be destroyed instantly." She swore she saw a vein pop.

"Do you really have to put it like that?' He asked her angrily.

"Mayumi-chan's right though." Kuroko said. "The five prodigies have each gone on to play for their own schools."

"And one of those schools will stand at the top." Mayumi said.

She heard Kagami laugh. "Hehehe…. That's great."

Kuroko and she both glanced at Kagami. "That's the kind of thing that lights a fire in me." He smirked.

"I've decided. I'll crush all of them and become Japan's best player. "

It was silent for a while until both Mayumi and Kuroko said at the same time.

"I think that's impossible." Cue vein pop from Kagami. He turned towards them. "Hey! And don't say it with such synchronization! It's creeping me out!" the crossing light turned green.

Kuroko stopped drinking his milkshake. "If you had hidden talent, I wouldn't know."

"But, from what I've seen, you wouldn't even reach their feet." Mayumi continued. They crossed the road, and reached the other side.

"You can't do it alone." Kuroko said. "I've also decided."

"Hm?" Kagami looked at him questionably. Kuroko looked down.

"I'm a shadow." He looked up at the night sky. "But the stronger the light, the darker the shadow, and the more it accentuates the brightness of the light." He focused his attention to Kagami.

"I will be shadow to your light, and make you the best player in Japan."

Kagami's eyes widened but it didn't stop there. Mayumi spoke up too, slightly surprising both of them,

"I'm not a strong enough shadow, nor am I a strong enough light. But," she faced them both. "I can be the sky that supports you both. There's light and shadow in the world, but without the sky holding the source that makes them, there won't be any. That's why," Her eyes became determined.

"I'll do whatever I can to support you two, and I will make sure that you will achieve your goal no matter what."

Kagami and Kuroko stared at her. Kagami's expression was one of shock, until it changed into a smirk.

"Ha! Nice words there. Just do what you want."

Kuroko and Mayumi both smiled.

"I'll do my best."

…

_2009/4/2 Thursday_

_Dear diary,_

_I have decided to become the sky to both Taiga and Tetsuya-kun. _

_Taiga… he holds something special. I know it; just call it a gut feeling after seeing people like him for three years. He holds something huge, and I want to be there when he releases it._

_Kagami Taiga and Kuroko Tetsuya._

_I wonder how will this turn out? I hope…_

_I hope it won't end the same as before. _

_Goodnight Diary._

_11:00 Sanada Mayumi_

* * *

**Here is my new story!**

**Hope you enjoy it!**

**~LunaricFairy12~**


	2. Chapter 2 We are Serious 01

**Kuroko no Basket: NEW!**

**Chapter 2: We are Serious 01**

Mayumi hummed slightly as she walked to school.

It has been a few days after the first minigame between the 2nd years and 1st years. Since then, Mayumi have decided to acknowledge the fact that Kagami might not be so bad, and started to call him by his first name, kind of weirding him out for a bit, but he got used to it soon.

Her black tresses swayed in the spring breeze. She entered the school and went into her classroom. There weren't many people since that it was quite early, so she put her stuff away and took out a book, and started to read.

After a few minutes, she felt someone stand in front of her.

"Good morning, Mayumi-chan."

"Eh?" She looked up to meet light blue orbs that stared silently into hers. "Oh, good morning, Tetsuya-kun."

He nodded at her and sat next to her. Surprisingly, her seat was right next to his, and was at the back of the classroom. It made it almost impossible for the teacher to notice them both during lessons though, which was an advantage when she was sleepy.

They both continued their business in silence. Only the faint chatter of classmates was heard.

Just then, Kuroko spoke up,

"Mayumi-chan?"

"Yes?" She faced him questionably.

"Can I play in a match soon?" He asked her.

"…?" She tilted her head to the side. Until it registered that he was talking about the basketball club. "… I don't know about that. Why don't you ask coach? I'll go with you." She closed her book and stood up, Kuroko mimicking her actions.

They both went to the 2nd year's classroom. Unlike the 1st year's classrooms, it was filled with students which made Mayumi wonder why she couldn't hear the chatter downstairs. They both looked for Riko's classroom and when they found it, they entered.

"Excuse me, but is Riko-senpai here?" Kuroko had asked but nobody paid any attention to him.

"Excuse me?" Mayumi tried to ask but was pushed aside, and landed into Kuroko's arms. His arms had automatically wrapped around her, preventing her from falling. Mayumi noticed that he had caught her and freed herself from his grasp, thanking him.

"It's okay." He nodded. She smiled softly, but her face felt a little warmer. She ignored and started to look around again. It was then she spotted a certain brown haired girl.

"Tetsuya-kun, I found coach."

"Ah." He nodded and looked in the direction she was facing. "Let's go ask her then."

They both steadily made their way to the brown haired coach, but she was oblivious of their approaching figures. They tried their best to avoid the people along the way, and when they finally reached her, they both spoke up.

"Coach."

"Wah!" She jumped back, surprised. She looked at them with anger. "Stop sneaking up on people like that!"

"But we're not." Kuroko said blankly. Mayumi nodded along with him. Riko just sighed.

"Never mind. So what do you guys want?" Mayumi quickly answered her.

"We're here to ask whether Tetsuya-kun can play in a match or not." Riko nodded.

"Ah, I see. Well, you can't play yet."

Kuroko blinked in confusion. "Why not, coach?"

"You're not an official member yet." She explained. "You have to be one before you can officially start playing in matches. That goes for Mayumi-chan too. You have to join officially as a manager before you can start your work."

"Then how do you become official?" Mayumi asked, tilting her head to the side. Riko rummaged around in her bag before pulling out two sheets of papers.

"Just fill this out and hand it over to me." They both quickly nodded and attempted to take it, but she retracted her hand. Riko smirked deviously, which sent slight shivers up on Mayumi's spine.

"But, I'll only accept them on Monday, 8:40 on the rooftop. If you don't make it, I won't accept it anymore." They both nodded and took the papers, thanking her and heading back to their classroom.

'_Monday 8:40 on the rooftop huh…? I wonder why…?" _Mayumi thought before hearing the bell ring, signaling the start of class.

'_Oh well.'_ She took out her textbooks and notebooks, before listening to the teacher with full attention.

Unfortunately, she didn't see Kuroko glance her for a second before turning away.

…

It was after the first lesson that Kagami came up to her, asking,

"Mayumi! Do you know whether I can play in matches yet?" He demanded, slamming his hands down on her desk. She flinched slightly at the loud noise, before glancing up at him and speaking,

"You can't. You have to be an official member first. To do that," She took out the sheet of paper that Riko had handed to her and showed it to Kagami. "You need to fill this out."

"Great!" He attempted to take the paper, but she retracted her hand. "Oi! What-"

"This is mine." She said, frowning slightly. "If you want one you need to speak to coach on the second floor." He gave her a slightly annoyed look before asking,

"Managers need to fill it out too?"

She nodded, confirming his question. He let out a sigh, running his hands through his red hair.

"Fine." He then ran out of the classroom, leaving a trail of smoke and dust behind him. She sweatdropped slightly at his enthusiasm before getting ready for her next class.

Kuroko, who was just returning to the classroom after returning his book from the school library, blinked confusedly when Kagami had ran pass by him muttering something under his breath while leaving a trail of dust everywhere. Kuroko wondered what got him so worked up before returning to the classroom and taking his seat next to Mayumi.

Meanwhile, somewhere else…

"Eh~ so this is Japan." A figure clad in brightly colored clothing hummed softly while looking around, dragging her bright red suitcase along with her. Her long orange locks swayed in the breeze, and her amber eyes sparkled with excitement and mischievousness. She caught sight of three guys playing basketball near a park, and she smirked.

"That reminds me… I wonder how he'll react once I tell him…" She said out loud thoughtfully, before smirking. "I can't wait to see him again." She glanced at the blue sky.

"Just wait for me… Tiger."

…

Kagami sighed as he walked home, bag slung over his shoulder. He glanced up at the orange sky, before catching sight of Maji Burger.

'_Might as well get something to eat…' _He thought and entered. Like always, he bought a mountain stack of burgers, ignoring the gaping faces of the people around him before sitting down. He put his bag down and unwrapped a burger, biting into it. His thoughts wandered to the events that happened today…

"_Coach!" He slammed his hands on Riko's table. _

_She spat out her drink in surprise, soaking his face in it. He wiped it away with the back of sleeve before demanding,_

"_Coach! Give me the official registration form!" _

_Annoyed, Riko wiped her mouth. "Jeez, what's happening today?! You too?"_

"_Too?" He asked confusedly._

"_Earlier, Kuroko-kun and Mayumi-chan came asking me the same thing." Kagami's eyebrows furrowed a little._

"_Those guys…"_

"_Geez, you guys are really impatient huh? You rascals!" _

"_What are you saying?"_

"_Anyway, you guys have firepower and we have space on the bench, so here."_

_She passed him the form. His eyes lightened up as he took the sheet of paper. He grinned._

"_Now I can finally start playing in matches…"_

"_Hey, wait!" She called out to him before he was about to leave. He turned back to look at her. "Huh?"_

"_I'll only accept it on Monday at 8:40 on the rooftop!"_

_After that, he walked back to his classroom. Just then, he passed by a poster that showed Seirin's basketball team last year. It said that the team was qualified for the Kanto tournament on the fist participation. _

"_They weren't kidding…" He said out loud. He didn't notice two figures approaching him from behind._

"_Yes, they're strong." All of a sudden, Kuroko and Mayumi were standing right next to him._

_He jolted with surprise and shouted,_

"_Why can't you guys show up normally?! Stop coming out of nowhere!"_

_It echoed through the entire floor. He was panting, but Kuroko simply put a finger to his and shushed him, pointing to the sign that said library._

_A vein popped on Kagami as he grabbed Kuroko's head with one fist clenched. "You're making fun of me? You're making fun of me, aren't you?"_

"…_No…" Kuroko managed to answer. Frowning, Mayumi grabbed Kagami's hand and yanked his hand away from Kuroko. Kuroko reached up to his forehead and rubbed it. _

"_That hurts."_

"_Oi, Mayumi! What-"_

"_Stop doing that. You might accidently crush his head with your ridiculous power." She frowned harder, which caused another vein to pop. "You just insulted me, didn't you?"_

"_I believe she actually complimented you." Kuroko said blankly. "It just sounded insulting." Kagami twitched. "That doesn't make any sense."_

_Just then, something occurred to Kagami. He stared at the two for awhile, which caused them to blink at him._

'_The rest of the 'Generation of Miracles' all went on to play for strong schools, so why didn't they go with them?'He frowned slightly. He closed his eyes for a second, before opening them a second later. "Hey, Kuroko, Mayumi."He stopped for a second._

_They were gone. _

…

"I'm gonna kill them the next time I see them."

He twitched as he recalled the events from earlier. He sighed and took another burger, before he felt someone sit right across from him. He glanced at that person, and saw Mayumi drinking a strawberry milkshake.

"Oh, Mayumi." She nodded at him.

"Hey, Taiga." He looked around.

"Where's Kuroko? Isn't he always with you?" She shrugged.

"I was waiting for him at the gates but he seems to have disappeared." She frowned, sipping her juice. "I usually don't lose sight of him so easily…"

He saw how displeased she was about not being able to find him. It then occurred to him. Usually, he couldn't sense her, but why could he now?

"Hey, Mayumi?"

"Hm?" She sent a questioning gaze to him.

"How come I can sense you now? When you were with Kuroko, I couldn't sense you at all." He ate his fourth burger. She stopped sipping and looked up at him.

"I'm not as unnoticeable as Tetsuya-kun." She started. "I'm actually quite easily found you know. I'm just good at walking so lightly that nobody can hear me approaching, but that's about it. When around Tetsuya-kun though," She leaned on the glass window. "It's hard to notice me. I don't really get it either, but it's like his shadow aura covers me too. It's not all bad though, it feels like he's watching over me and I don't attract too much unnecessary attention too. I actually like it." She smiled softly, sipping her grape juice. He nodded.

"Kind of weird if you ask me, but whatever." He finished his twelfth burger. He reached forward to eat another one before a voice spoke up,

"Kagami-kun. Mayumi-chan."

Surprised, he jolted. "Kuroko!"

"Tetsuya-kun." She stood up, a small frown on her face. "Where have you been?"

"Sorry." He apologized. "I was caught up in something. It's fine though." He glanced outside. "It's getting dark, shall we get going?"

She looked outside before nodding and standing up. "Goodbye Taiga."

"See you tomorrow, Kagami-kun." With that, they left. Kagami let a small sigh before finished his mountain stack of burgers, before heading home too.

When he reached his home, he kicked off his shoes and headed into his living room. When he switched on the lights though, he almost had a heart attack.

Sitting on the couch, was a brightly smiling girl with long orange hair. Her yellow parka was neatly folded next to her, and she grinned. Shocked, he jumped and yelled,

"_WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"_

Smiling, she waved. In front of her was a shiny red suitcase.

"_Hey, how're you doing?"_

…

He slammed his hands on the dining table.

"What the hell are you doing here?! Aren't you supposed to be in America?! Why are you here?!" He demanded, gripping her shoulders. She merely grinned.

"What? You don't miss me?" She teased him. "I thought you missed little ol' me so I asked Daddy to move here." She snickered slightly. "Besides that, you haven't changed at all did you? And might I say that your eyebrows are lovely as usual~" He scowled.

"Get to the point."

"Alright, I'm sorry." She dropped her grin, instead forming a slightly sad smile. "My family moved her because of dad's job. I just really missed you, and I just wanted to see you again." He quickly let go of her, facing another direction.

"Whatever…" He muttered, a little bashfully. She smiled cheekily.

"Anyway, I just stopped by to say hello." She stood up, grabbing her suitcase. "I have to get going now. It was nice seeing you again." Quickly, he stood up with her.

"I'm walking you to your house." He huffed. "There is no way I'm letting you walk out on the streets alone when it's this dark." She grinned happily, walking to the door.

"Thanks Taiga!"

His crimson red eyes softened.

"No problem, Ayame. Now, where do you live?"

The two of them walked to her house, talking about various things. It felt so right to be with her again, he thought as he looked at the girl next to him. He might have missed her more than he thought he did.

"So you joined a school called Seirin?" She said thoughtfully. "It seems pretty fun when you describe it." He twitched at her sentence.

"It's annoying. Especially those two people…" He muttered, which didn't go unnoticed by her. She tilted her head to the side.

"Who're they?"

"A guy named Kuroko Tetsuya. He's like a shadow, practically invisible." He said, annoyed. "He always appears out of nowhere, surprising the shit out of me. But, he's not bad at basketball, I'll admit. And there's Mayumi." The name caught her attention. A girl?

"She's always with Kuroko, which makes her hard to notice too. I don't know her abilities yet, but I caught a glimpse of it when we were playing against the 2nd years." His eyebrows furrowed. "It's like she's a completely different person during a match." He scratched his head. Ayame hummed slightly.

"Mmm~ Mayumi and Kuroko huh? They seem pretty interesting." She grinned. "I would like to meet them sometime." He sighed.

"I don't know about that." Her grin widened, causing a bad feeling to bubble in stomach. "Anyway, we're here."

He glanced up, seeing the yellow house. It wasn't big, but wasn't small either. He sweatdropped, remembering how much she loved bright and colorful things.

She skipped to the front of the door and turned around before she entered. She flashed a smile at him.

"Thanks for sending me. See you tomorrow, Taiga!" She waved. He smiled back at her.

"See you tomorrow, childhood friend."

With that, he left. Her amber colored eyes softened, and she said softly,

"See you tomorrow, childhood friend."

The next day, Kagami almost had a heart attack again.

He heard rumors of a girl transferring to Seirin, but he didn't actually think… Oh who was he kidding, he should've known.

His eye twitched as he saw her grin mischievously at him.

"Now please introduce yourself to the class."

"Okay." She smiled at the class, causing some boys to blush. "My name is Takeda Ayame! I'm from America, but my family is Japanese. I moved here because of my dad's work! Please take care of me!" She bowed.

"Okay, now sit next to Kagami over there. Kagami, please raise your hand." He felt a vein pop as he ignored the teacher, glaring at all the boys who kept glancing at her as she made her way to the conveniently open seat next to him. She sat next to him, and he scowled as he turned away. He could practically feel her smirking right now. He felt another vein pop as he felt two pairs of eyes staring curiously at the both of them.

Damn them.

Damn them all to hell.

The pencil he was holding snapped in two.

…

It's been a few days after Ayame's arrival. She met Kuroko and Mayumi as soon as the first lesson finished, instantly taking a liking to the both of them. She also met the rest of the basketball club too, and apparently took a liking to the club itself. At first she didn't get along too well with because apparently, Ayame didn't 'respect' her and Riko said that Ayame was 'too cheeky'. Kagami had told Riko that it was usual for Ayame, but he got hit so decided to say anything anymore, but after a while they became slightly better, but not perfect.

Sometimes the four of them, Kuroko, Mayumi, Kagami and Ayame, would stop by at Maji burger and eat before walking home together.

When she told him that she decided that she would join the basketball club, he almost had a third heart attack.

When she told him that she already received the form from Riko, he nearly fainted.

"Stupid Ayame…" He scowled as he ate his dinner furiously. "Why does she always decide things without telling anybody first?! That stupid, impatient, rash…" He muttered under his breath, stabbing a carrot violently.

He sighed tiredly, putting down his fork and leaning back on his chair. The house was awfully quiet, he noticed. It was completely different form when Ayame was here, as she tended to drop by at completely random times. One time, she even brought a huge cheesecake with her.

"_You eat 5 times more than a regular human, right? So I made a normal cheesecake 5 times bigger! Bye, and don't give me that face I didn't poison it or anything!" She left the cheesecake in his arms and rushed back home. _

He glanced at the calendar. Today was Sunday so tomorrow will be Monday… Monday?

"Ah!" He shouted, standing up, almost toppling over the chair. "I'm supposed to meet the coach on Monday 8:40 at the rooftop to register! I haven't written it out yet!" Frantic, he rushed to his bedroom to write the registration form, forgetting about his half-finished dinner.

The next day, he met up with Ayame on the road to school.

"Taiga! Let's go! We're going to be late!" She grinned happily and raced towards the school.

"H-hey! Wait up!" He chased after her.

After meeting Kuroko and Mayumi, they headed to the rooftop. He noticed it was quite windy, and that the brown haired coach was standing in front of the rail with her arms crossed, smirking at them.

"Heh, heh, heh. I've been waiting."

Kagami just stared blankly at her. Mayumi and Kuroko blinked, and Ayame had to stifle her small chuckle. The rest of the first years just looked nervous.

"Are you stupid?" Kagami said.

"Is this… a duel?" Kuroko said, blankly.

"It looks like she's the final boss." Mayumi also said. Ayame let out a small laugh.

"Then she would be a huge, green monster or something." Riko shot her an irritated look, which Ayame stopped talking at.

Kagami sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I forgot all about it, but Monday…" He paused for a second before shouting,

"Isn't the morning assembly in five minutes?!" His voice echoed. He reached into the back of his pants pocket and took out the form. "Here! Hurry up and take it."

"Before that, I have something to tell you." Riko informed. The 1st years blinked in confusion.

"I made a promise when the guys asked me to be coach last year." She continued. "I promised to focus solely on pushing the team towards the national championship. If you don't think you're ready for that, there are other clubs better suited to you." She stretched an arm and gestured to the side.

"What? Of course I'm-" Kagami started but was cut off.

"I know you're strong." Riko said. "But I need to know whether you have something even more important. No matter how hard you practice, 'someday' and 'maybe' aren't enough." She closed her eyes. "I need to know you have detailed, ambitious goals and the will to accomplish them." Just then, she gestured to the entire school body in the school field.

"Say your grade, class, name, and announce your goals for this year right here, right now." She retraced her hand and put her hands on her hips. "If you fail to achieve them, you'll come back up here," Her eyes took a dark, but mischievous look that sent a shiver throughout Kagami's spine. "Strip naked, and confess your feelings for the person you like." That sent a strong reaction through the 1st years except for Kagami, Kuroko, Mayumi and Ayame.

"EHHHH?!"

Mayumi blinked. "That was one unexpected punishment."

Ayame nodded slowly. "So, you want _us_," She gestured to Mayumi and her. "To strip _naked _and confess our feelings to the person we like?" She said slowly, as if talking to a child. The other guys minus Kuroko and Kagami, went red in the face after she said that.

Riko scowled. "Stop talking like that and the girls' can just wear a tank top and shorts." Ayame grinned, satisfied. "Plus, all the second years did it last year so no complains!"

There were some murmurs through the other three 1st years.

"I didn't hear about this…"

"No, I heard it when they recruited me."

"But I didn't think…"

"Like I said before," Riko continued. "I'm looking for something specific and reasonably ambitious. You'll have to do better than "Play my first game" or "Do my best". "

Kagami smirked. This was too easy. "This'll be easy." He started walk up to the railing. "This won't even be a test." He jumped, and balanced himself on the metal rails, which caused Riko to yelp and Ayame to let out an impressed whistle.

He took a deep breath. "Class 1-B, number 5, Kagami Taiga! I will defeat the Generation of Miracles,"

He paused before yeling,

"And become the best player in Japan!"

His voice echoed throughout the entire field. He could see the astonished faces from the all the students staring up in disbelief and awe at him. He jumped from the railing and landed safely on the roof. He then walked back to where all the other first years were standing. He noticed Ayame's grinning face and he smirked back at her.

"Who's next?" Riko asked, and immediately, Ayame raised her hand.

"I'm going!" She skipped happily to where the railing was. Kagami let out a small sigh at her carefree nature but watched her carefully just in case she was going to do something stupid. She grabbed the railing and leaned forward. Taking a deep breath, she shouted,

"Class 1-B, number 48, Takeda Ayame! I'm not really sure of my goal yet," That part almost made Kagami do an animefall. "But back when I was little, I always used to be a nuisance to others. That's why I want to be able to help this team with the best of my abilities!"

She grinned happily, and Kagami smiled slightly before noticing something. She was leaning forward too much, and if didn't she retract her body soon…

"Ayame!" He rushed forward just the time that Ayame started to lose her grip on the rail. Her eyes widened with shock as she tried to pull back her body, but it was no use. Riko's eyes widened as soon as she realized what was going to happen and she tried to grab Ayame's hand, but she was too slow.

"Kagami-kun!" She shouted, and he lunged forward just before Ayame was going to fall. He grabbed her hand and pulled her up with all his strength. Unfortunately, it was too much and sent her crashing into his body. They both landed on the roof with Ayame over Kagami.

"Taiga…" He then noticed that she was _really _close to his face. He noticed how her bright amber eyes seem to shine with gratefulness and how sweet she smelled, like jasmine and summer. If summer had a smell he thinks that it would smell like Ayame. He also noticed how everything around them seemed to slow down, and it felt like it was only the two of them.

Ayame wasn't stupid. Sure, she was clumsy, a little careless at times, and is an idiot when it comes to learning, but she wasn't stupid. She was fully aware of how her childhood friend's deep crimson orbs seem to stare into her amber ones, and how close their faces were. Her heart was beating extremely fast, and she still couldn't get over the fact he had saved her from almost dying. She felt her body moving on its own, her face moving closer…

"Ahem."

Riko's voice brought the two of them both back to reality. They just then noticed how everyone on the roof was staring at them, and they scrambled off each other in a frenzy. For some odd reason, Kagami felt that his face was warmer than usual, and that he couldn't look at Ayame properly in the eye. He glanced at her secretly, and found that she was covering her mouth, face red.

"Are you two alright?" Riko asked them. Ayame nodded softly, which surprised him.

"Yeah… We're fine…" She answered softly. Riko let out a sigh of relief as Kagami and Ayame stood up, walking over to where the others were.

"Okay, now that that's over, who's next?" Just like that, the other 1st years gave it a try.

Ayame's heart was still beating like crazy. It wouldn't stop for some odd reason, and she wanted to know why. Secretly, she glanced at Kagami for a second before turning away, face feeling hotter. She didn't notice Mayumi looking at her from the corner of her eye before smiling faintly and focusing her attention on the other 1st years.

Mayumi watched every single of them carefully. She had a feeling that this moment would be very important in the future, and she didn't want to miss one second of it. Kuroko noticed her change in attitude and also observed them silently. When the three 1st years were done, Riko asked,

"Who's next?"

They both took this moment to walk up to Riko. Unfortunately, she didn't notice them until Kuroko had spoke up.

"Um, excuse me."

Riko jerked violently with surprise, and turned in their direction, mouth ajar. Mayumi tilted her head to the side softly, wondering what he was going to ask.

"I'm not good at speaking loudly, so may I use this?" He pulled out a white megaphone out of thin air. Mayumi stared at it in surprise. Where did he even get that thing?

"Where did you…?" Riko murmured in surprise.

Kuroko walked up to the railing. Lifting the megaphone to his mouth, he took a deep breath, and-

"Hey!"

The doors to the roof burst open. Mayumi turned around to see a teacher standing there, frowning with disapproval. "The basketball club again?!"

"Shit, we were almost done." Riko cursed silently.

In no time at all, they were lined up sitting down with the teacher in front of them, lecturing their behavior. Mayumi just stared silently at the sky, not paying any attention to the teacher at all. Ayame was off in her own dream world, Kuroko was frowning softly while listening to the teacher, and Kagami didn't seem to care at all.

Just like that, the morning for the start of the week ended.

..

It was the evening.

Mayumi packed her bag, humming a small song. Nobody besides Kuroko was in their classroom, so it was very quiet. Kuroko was waiting for her patiently at the door.

Mayumi bit her lip softly as she recalled the events from this morning. Kuroko and she didn't get to say their goals, so would they be able to officially enter the basketball club? A wave of uneasiness hit her, and she let out a tired sigh, which caused Kuroko to look at her questionably.

She closed her eyes for a moment. "Ne, Tetsuya-kun?"

"Yes?"

"…Do you think that I'll be useful to the team if I joined?" he became silent. She opened her ruby red orbs and stared out the window, gazing at the beautiful orange color that seemed to spread throughout the never ending sky. She walked closer to the window, and touched the cold glass with her fingertips.

"I want to take this team far. Far, far away, just like the sky out there. I want this team to encounter countless challenges and be able to overcome all of them." She paused for a moment. "… But sometimes I just wonder whether I really can do anything…"

It was silent. They both know what she was going to add next. _Without scarring anyone ever again. _Neither of them said anything, until she heard light footsteps coming towards her. Sensing his presence next to her, she tensed lightly until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"It's not impossible." He told her softly. She faced him silently while looking down and he continued, "I know you, and I know that you will do anything to make this team shine the brightest out there, but not in a bad way. I promise that it won't be like before, ever again. I believe in you. So please…" He touched his forehead to hers, his light blue eyes meeting hers. "Please believe in yourself again."

At that moment, the two of them felt at peace. Nothing existed anymore, just the two of them together. They spent what felt like eternity like that. Mayumi almost believed again. She almost believed that nothing bad would ever happen when she was by his side. She couldn't shake off the warm feeling of being with him.

But, she couldn't believe, not yet.

It was quiet. After a while, Kuroko reluctantly pulled back and offered a hand to her.

"We should get going, it's getting late."

"Ah." Mayumi snapped out of her daze and glanced out of the window. The once orange sky was turning darker. "You're right." She lightly put her hand on his and squeezed softly, smiling. He smiled faintly back at her and they both began to make their way out of their school.

They walked quietly, nether one of them saying anything. To others, they would probably look like a couple, but of course nobody noticed them. They kept walking until Kuroko stopped suddenly, which caused Mayumi to look at him confusedly. He glanced at her before saying,

"Do you want to stop at Maji Burger?" She chuckled softly.

"Sure, why not?"

Just like that, they both entered the restaurant which was coincidently near the road they were walking on.

Kuroko ordered a vanilla milkshake, and she ordered a strawberry milkshake like usual. After getting their orders, they found an empty table and decided to sit there. Sipping her shake happily, Mayumi let out a happy sigh. _She really loves strawberry milkshakes. _Kuroko thought.

At that precise moment, Kagami had happened to walk over to their table and sit down with his mountain stack of burgers, not even noticing either of them. Ayame also happened to be with him, taking a seat next to him while eating a French fry.

"I can't believe he got so angry over a little shouting." He grumbled and took a bite of a burger. Ayame licked her lips happily.

"Yeah, but you got admit his face was funny." She said, munching on a French fry. He smirked and took another bite. Mayumi watched the two of them silently, wondering when they would notice them. It was then when Kuroko decided to speak up,

"We didn't even finish,"

"And we got in trouble too." Mayumi decided to end his sentence, which caused a semi surprised look from him. She smiled at him secretly, and he smiled back before his face melted into his usual blank expression.

Kagami almost chocked on his burger, and Ayame coughed violently in surprise.

"You again?" He said with wide eyes. "Maybe I should start going somewhere else…" Ayame shook her head to the side furiously.

"I like it here!"

"You don't have to change you know." He told her but she just frowned.

"It's not fun without you, idiot!" He paused at her sentence before sighing and looked to the side.

"Whatever." Ayame's eyes brightened up.

"Anyway," Mayumi spoke up. "We aren't allowed on the roof anymore. What will we do if we can't join the basketball team?"

Kagami just scoffed lightly. "That's probably not going to happen."

"Maybe." Kuroko answered, a little thoughtfully. Ayame nudged Kagami.

"When are you going to ask them?" He gave her a surprised look. "Ask what?"

"You know, what you asked me this afternoon!" She persisted, and his eyes lit up with realization.

"Oh yeah." He turned to them and looked at the two of them seriously, which slightly surprised Mayumi of his change in attitude. "By the way, why didn't you guys go to some big name school like the other guys?" The question took Mayumi off guard. What was he trying to say?

"You were good enough to be known as the phantom sixth member," He said to Kuroko. He then turned to her. "I'm not quite sure of your abilities yet, but I know that you're not exactly weak either. So, is there some reason why you play basketball?"

It was silent for a second. Mayumi bit the straw lightly as she drank her milkshake. Kuroko just sipped his milkshake before speaking a minute later.

"Our middle school's basketball team had one core principle. It was 'Winning is everything'." Mayumi recalled what had happened during their middle school times before saying,

"Instead of teamwork, we needed to push the individual talents of the Generation of Miracles to win. Which," She crossed her arms over her chest a little angrily. "I didn't agree with."

"Nothing could beat us, but we weren't a team." Kuroko continued. "The five approved of it, but I felt that we lacked something important."

"So, what? Are you guys going to beat the Generation of Miracles your own way?" Kagami asked curiously.

"That's what I was thinking." Kuroko glanced at Mayumi for a second. She nodded. "I was thinking of that too."

"Seriously?" Kagami smirked. Ayame whistled, impressed.

"You guys are pretty _tough._"

They stared at her, confused. Only Kagami got it and his smirk widened. "You got that right. But, I can't believe that you two were planning to do that." Kuroko didn't even blink.

"Besides that, your words and coach's really struck me. Now my biggest reason to play basketball is,"

"Trying to make you and our team the best in Japan." Mayumi said with him quietly, facing down. A little surprised, they turned to her. She just smiled a little sadly, recalling what had happened before at school. It was quiet for a while, until Ayame spoke up,

"We're not gonna try."

"Hm?" She looked up to meet Ayame's eyes. They were filled with seriousity, which was a quite rare sight. She faced Kagami and they both grinned before standing up. Kuroko and Mayumi's eyes followed them curiously. Kagami and Ayame both looked at them, before declaring in unison,

"We're gonna _be _the best."

Kuroko and Mayumi stared at them blankly for a second. It was then, a small, but barely visible smile curled the edges of their lips.

"Yeah, we will."

…

"Mayumi-chan."

"Tetsuya-kun."

They both looked seriously at each other in the eye. They had walked back home with Kagami and Ayame until they had to part ways, and was now standing in front of Mayumi's house. It was already dark, but they didn't seem to care.

"I was thinking…"

"I know." Mayumi smiled. He gave her a surprised look. She smiled softly before poking his forehead gently.

"I've known you for 3 years Tetsuya. I can somehow guess what you were thinking. And, I want to do it too." Her eyes softened. "You're not the only one who didn't get to shout this morning."

He blinked slightly, realizing that she had called him without the suffix, which proved that she was serious. Recovering over his surprise, he smiled gently and poked her back, mimicking her previous actions. "I'll see you at 3 in the morning then."

"Good." She nodded, and he begun to make his way to his house. "Goodnight, Tetsuya-kun."

He looked back and smiled softly. "Goodnight… Mayumi-chan."

…

_2009/4/15 Monday_

_Dear diary,_

_Today was quite eventful. _

_This morning, we had to all gather on the rooftop to shout out our goals for the year for the basketball club in front of the entire school. Well, me and Tetsuya-kun didn't get to. The teacher arrived just before we could._

_Anyway, I have a feeling that Ayame likes Taiga. I could be wrong, but I was the first to discover Satsuki's crush on Tetsuya-kun, which I still find quite disturbing. I wonder why?_

_Getting back to the subject, I'm pretty sure that Taiga likes her too, but they both probably haven't even noticed their own feelings yet, much less each others. From what I heard from Ayame's chatter, she had been with Taiga since he transferred to a school in America there, which I'm not sure when. Apparently, he was the one who taught her Japanese too. _

_She definitely likes him, but hasn't noticed yet. _

… _Why do I strangely feel out of character? _

_Never mind. Also, me and Tetsuya-kun were thinking about the same way to get into the club. _

_I don't know why, but I feel happy. _

_It's getting late, goodnight Diary._

_10:45 Sanada Mayumi_

…

The next day, Kagami arrived at school with Ayame humming happily next to him. They entered the school and their classroom, but noticed something strange.

All their classmates were looking out of the window, pointing and whispering. Curious, they both walked to the window and peered out of it. When they did, Kagami smirked and Ayame smiled widely. The reason?

On the field, spelled out in white powder, was a sentence.

'_We will make you the best in Japan.'_


	3. Chapter 3 We are Serious 02

**Kuroko no Basket: NEW!**

**Chapter 3: I'm Serious 02**

Later on, Mayumi and Ayame were waiting in the gym, waiting for the guys to start practicing. Apparently, they were going to have a practice match against another school soon. Against who, Mayumi wasn't too sure though. She sat on the bench, a little bored as she swung her legs back and forth. Ayame was leaning on the wall behind them, closing her eyes and humming a song.

Just then, the bell rang, and the guys came out from the locker room, looking tense for some reason. This caught Mayumi's interest, and she observed them quietly. Ayame had heard their footsteps too. She opened her eyes and faced the guys.

"You guys will be doing the regular warm ups before doing a practice match against each other before coach comes." She grinned happily. Hyuuga nodded.

"Thanks. Come on, let's get started!"

"Hai!"

Meanwhile, outside…

"Nee, Ki-kun. How long more?" A short, sandy blonde haired girl whined tiredly.

"I'm pretty sure we'll be arriving there soon, Kia-cchi." The tall, blonde man said next to her, chuckling. She puffed up her cheeks.

"You said that ten minutes ago! Do you even know where we're going?"

"Of course I do!" He exclaimed, offended. "It's right here!" He stopped in front of a building. The girl next to him stopped, and looked up at the school building.

"Wow, this place is pretty clean." She commented, her bright blue eyes scanning the environment.

"Well, it is a new school after all." He smiled, seeing her curious expression. She smiled happily. "I wonder where Mayu-chan is... I can't wait to see her!"

He chuckled. "I can't wait to meet Kuroko-cchi either. Come on, let's go." He took a step forward and into Seirin High School grounds.

"Alright!" The girl followed him enthusiastically. Around them, people started to whisper.

"Isn't that guy hot?"

"That girl looks so cute!"

"He's so tall too… Wait could he be the-"

"She looks like an angel… Wait could she be the-"

"Model!"

"Singer!"

Back in the gym, the guys were doing a practice match. Senpai Vs Kohai. Mayumi and Ayame sat on the bench, watching each of them carefully.

"Wow! Taiga got a whole lot better!" Ayame exclaimed, seeing him dunk again. Mayumi's eyes narrowed as she observed his body.

_She's right; he's a whole lot better than before…_

He ran past Izuki who was attempting to block him. Not giving up, Izuki tried to block him from scoring, but Kagami was faster. He avoided him quickly with a turn and dunked in the ball with ferocious strength.

_And faster._

She frowned as she saw the other guys complimenting him.

"Nice shoot!"

"He's amazing. Such a quick turn at full speed! He's no ordinary human."

"He might even beat the Generation of Miracles."

She frowned harder as she heard those compliments. They were clearly underestimating the 'Generation of Miracles.' They weren't called that for nothing. Only one sentence struck her hard.

"Maybe he's better than them already!" Her fist clenched.

_From what I've seen, you wouldn't even reach their feet._

"I know I said that… But…" She murmured quietly, and glanced at Kagami. Ayame noticed her small movement, and frowned slightly, wondering what Mayumi was thinking.

She had a strange feeling the moment she met her. She couldn't read what she was thinking at all, and it bothered her. Along with Kuroko, she had never seen eyes so empty, so fill of blankness. Like, they were both hiding something that nobody knew.

_Other than each other. _

She shook her head. Where had that idea come from? She knew she trusted the black haired girl, but she couldn't shake off the weird feeling of doubt sometimes either… But before she could ponder on it anymore, Riko had shouted,

"Gather round everyone!"

"Hai!"

They all gathered around Riko. She was smiling happily, but for some reason, it sent a chill up Mayumi's spine. When she delivered the news to them, Hyuuga's eyes widened.

"We're going to have a practice match against Kaijo High School?!"

"That's right." She nodded. "They won't disappoint us. We're going to use plenty of first years too!'

Mayumi flinched. Kaijo? If she remembered correctly, that was where…

"Disappoint us? They're way better than us."

"Are they really that good?"

"They're strong at the national level." Hyuuga explained. "They play in the Inter-High every year."

"And this year, Kaijo got their hands on one of the 'Generation of Miracles." Mayumi eyes widened as she spoke out loud unknowingly.

"Kise Ryouta." Riko looked at her surprised, but she nodded.

"That's right."

"What?" The trio of 1st years exclaimed. "Him?"

"The 'Generation of Miracles?"

"Apparently, he's a model too."

"Good looking and good at basketball? That's brutal." Koganei sighed. Riko sighed exasperatedly.

"Idiot."

"I also have one thing to mention." Mayumi spoke, making them focus on her.

"What is it?" Riko asked her, curious.

"If Ryouta is there,"

"There is no doubt that Hirai-san is there too." Kuroko finished for her. They looked at them with confused looks.

"Hirai Kia. One of the members of the other side of the 'Generation of Miracles', meaning that she is a manager for them. She's also a singer." Mayumi explained. Riko nodded.

"Eh! A singer and a model?"

"That's kinda amazing..."

"So, the next match will be pretty tough…" Riko murmured quietly. All of a sudden, there was a loud noise.

"W-What?"

At the entrance of the gym, there was a horde of people crowding around the side of the stage, boys and girls alike. Riko gave a surprised look.

"Huh? What? What are all these people doing here?"

"Uh, I didn't mean for this to happen." A very familiar voice said sheepishly.

"It's because you're too popular." Another voice scolded the first one, which let a protesting,

"You're popular too!"

"They're…" Hyuuga trailed off. Mayumi's eyes widened slightly, seeing two familiar faces.

_Why? What are those two doing here?_

The two of them looked up from signing autographs, and spotted Kuroko and Mayumi. Kuroko nodded at them,

"It's good to see you again." Mayumi nodded silently along him.

"Good to see you too." The two of them smiled happily.

The Seirin team looked at Kuroko and Mayumi for a second, before returning their attention to the two blondes, one being brighter than the other.

"Kise Ryouta and Hirai Kia."

"Sorry, really um…" Kise rubbed the back of his head. Kia grinned sheepishly beside him.

"Could you guys wait for five minutes?"

After five minutes passed, all the fans had gone back, satisfied. The two of them jumped safely to the ground.

"W-What are you doing here?" Hyuuga stammered.

"Well," They started to make their way towards the Seirin basketball club. "When I heard our next opponent was Seirin, I remembered that Kuroko-cchi and Mayumi-cchi went here, so I thought I'd come say hi." Kise smiled."We were the closest in middle school too."

"We were just like everybody else though." Kuroko and Maumi answered blankly.

"That was mean!" Kise cried anime tears, covering his face with his sleeve. Mayumi directed her attention to Kia.

"Then why is Kia here?" Kia pouted.

"After I heard he was going, I followed him. I wanted to see you guys too! Anyway," Kia focused her full attention on Mayumi. Mayumi gulped a bit and tried to hide behind Kuroko, but it didn't work. She flinched, preparing for what was going to happen next.

"Mayu-chaaaaan!" She ran towards Mayumi and jumped, hugging her and causing the both of them to fall down.

"That hurts, Kia." She said frowning as the shorter girl rubbed her cheek against Mayumi's, making the guys around them, minus Kuroko and Kise, jaw drop.

"But I missed you!" She pouted cutely. Mayumi sighed.

"Please, my back hurts. At least get up."

"Fine." She pulled back, and the two of them got up. Immediately, she clung to Mayumi like a lifeline.

"I missed you so much! I haven't seen you in a long, long time and Ki-kun's always so busy so he doesn't have any time to play with me at all!" She pouted cutely, but Mayumi just let out a sigh.

"Well he's a model and you're a singer, wouldn't it be obvious that you have no time to play with each other anymore?" Kia puffed her cheeks slightly.

"Yeah…"

"Then that's it." She gently pulled her away from her body. "And please stop hugging me. I don't like it."

"Fii~ne." She bounced back to where Kise was. Mayumi slowly inched behind Kuroko. Noticing her actions, he chuckled softly.

"Are you still not used to her?"

"Maybe." She confessed. "I thought I am, but it's hard because she is the exact opposite of me." A faint smile appeared on his face before disappearing quickly. Then they both redirected their attention to the two blondes when they heard Furihata's voice.

"Kise Ryouta. Though he started basketball in his second year of middle school, his blessed physical ability and sense got him on the Teiko team as a regular in a heartbeat. While he has less experience than the other four, he's a rapidly improving all-rounder." He read from the article from a magazine.

"Since your second year?!" Hyuuga said disbelievingly. Kise scratched the back of his head.

"That article exaggerated a lot. I'm glad to be called part of the 'Generation of Miracles' but I'm the worst of the group." He smiled sheepishly. "They used to bully me and Kuroko-cchi all the time for it." Kia shook her head rapidly.

"That's not true! Ki-kun is just as good! I would know, after all I've been with you since the first year of middle school!" She denied. Kise looked down on her, surprised. "Kia-cchi…"

"Also, I'm pretty sure that Kuro-kun was never bullied." She noted afterwards, which caused him to cry anime tears again.

"Eh? It was only me?!" Kuroko nodded and then suddenly,

"Huh? There's an article about Hirai-san too!" Everybody directed their attention to Furihata who spoke.

"Really?" Hyuuga asked. He nodded.

"Hirai Kia. Although she joined the club as a manager in her second year and has little experience compared to the other managers, her healing abilities was what got her into one of the best. Quick and skillful in doing her job, she never hesitates to help an injured player." Furihata read out loud. Kia grinned happily and did a peace-sign.

"Well, the last part is true. I'm not sure about the rest though…" She said a little sheepishly while Kise shook his head.

"Don't be so modest Kia-cchi. Your healing skills are the best compared to anyone else." He told her. She smiled happily, and Mayumi noticed that her eyes seem to shine more brightly than before, or was it only around Kise?

"Are they a couple or something?" She heard Ayame whisper next to her. Mayumi shook her head.

"No they're not, but they might as well be." Ayame grinned.

"If I could I could set them up?" She suggested which Mayumi shook her head to.

"We tried to back in Middle School, and we always fail due to Kia's denseness to stuff like these. By the way, you just met them and you want to set them up already?" Mayumi tilted her head to the side, which caused Ayame to grin mischievously.

"I'm a sucker for romance."

"Oh." Mayumi nodded all the while thinking, _'And yet you still haven't noticed your own feelings?'_

"A~nyway," Kia turned to look at Ayame, who was standing near Mayumi. "Who's the pretty orange haired girl over there?"

"Me?" Ayame pointed to herself, and Kia nodded. She bounded over to her leaning forward slightly. Ayame raised an eyebrow before introducing herself.

"Takeda Ayame. I'm from America. Nice to meet you!" She reached out her hand and Kia shook it energetically.

"Wow, you're from America?! That's so cool! I always wanted to go there! Oh, and I'm Hirai Kia, nice to meet 'cha!" She grinned happily and Ayame did too. From the start, Mayumi could tell that those two were going to be great friends. They were energetic and bright, they were like two peas in pod. For some odd reason, Mayumi imagined a scene of a pea Ayame with a pea Kia. She inwardly shuddered at the thought. She heard Kise clear his throat.

"Um, well, it was nice seeing you guys again Kuroko-cchi, Mayumi-cchi." He grinned and Kia giggled lightly. "It was fun seeing Mayu-chan and Kuro-kun again. It was nice meeting you too Aya-chan!" She grinned and bounded back to Kise. He smiled at her.

"Well, I guess we better get-" He didn't get a chance to finish. All of a sudden, a basketball came hurling towards the blond male. His eyes sharpened and he caught the ball with incredible speed. Mayumi's eyes widened slightly, before reverting to their original blankness.

_When did he get so good?_

"Oww." He frowned. "What was that for?"

The Seirin team turned to the direction the ball flying in from. To their surprise, they were met with a smirking Kagami who looked awfully confident.

"Kagami!/Kagami-kun!" The coach and the captain shouted at the same time. Kagami's smirk only widened.

"Sorry to interrupt your reunion." He started. "But, don't tell me you came all the way just to greet us." He raised his hand up to his shoulder-level and taunted the blond. "Why don't you play with me a little, pretty boy?"

Kise frowned a little hard. "What? Even if you ask me so suddenly-" he paused for a moment, raising his hand to his chin in a thinking manner. "But, just now…" he closed his eyes for a moment, before smiling like he thought of something. He opened his golden eyes once again, "Alright, let's do it. I have to thank you for that display just now."

Mayumi felt a shiver up her spine. Just to see if she wasn't the only one, she peered over at Kuroko to find him looking at the scene occurring in front of him blankly. She searched his light blue eyes to find a clue from what he was thinking, but his eyes were shut down, as if he was keeping something from her. She bit her lip in slight frustration, before turning back to the duo.

Ayame watched the red eyed girl carefully. She noticed her slight movement but that didn't interest her right now. Her amber eyes trailed to Kagami, who was still standing there confidently. She felt a small smile creep onto her lips.

'_He always loved facing strong opponents, and I guess it will never change.' _Her eyes softened before she grinned happily. Kia, who noticed her grin, wondered why she seemed so happy. Shaking off the thought, her bright blue eyes focused on Kise.

He, like Kagami, seemed so confident. The only difference was that he was more relaxed, like having a red headed male challenging him was part of his everyday schedule. She briefly wondered why before thinking,

'_Knowing Ki-kun, he probably does.'_

Kise threw the ball back to Kagami, who caught it without any effort. Riko sighed tiredly,

"Unbelievable." All of a sudden, Kuroko was right next to her, his gaze focused solely on the two.

"This could be bad." She jerked with surprise at his sudden appearance. "Huh?"

He didn't answer after that. She frowned a bit before deciding not to mind his comment, and the Seirin team watched the small match between Kagami and Kise unfold.

Kagami bounced the ball to Kise, who caught it and began bouncing the ball up and down. Kagami bended down slightly, getting into position. Kise also hunched forward slightly, his eyes focused on Kagami in front of him. Kagami watched his opponent with narrowed and careful eyes. He felt the muscles in his body tense up. Each bounce made the air heavier with anticipation.

Neither of them moved, until he saw Kise let out a small breath before running past him faster than a cheetah. He felt his eyes widen for a moment, before he quickly regained his thoughts and chased after him.

He felt the familiar surge of adrenaline course through his veins. He quickly caught up to Kise, not losing to his speed. He saw Kise's eyes narrow slightly. His eyes narrowed in return.

They both ran near the goal. Kagami was sure that he could stop him. He had no intention of losing. That however, was ruined. When he was about to steal the ball from Kise's hands, Kise did a fast turn and jumped, about to dunk. He felt his eyes widen, recognizing the move _he _had used on Izuki-senpai.

'_This is ridiculous! I just did that, and…' _He growled and jumped, trying to block him from scoring. _'You've gotta be kidding me!' _he stretched out his arm and felt the ball. He felt that if he could push back harder, he would be able to block him. So he did.

But, it didn't work like that.

He tried. He put all his strength into his arm and pushed. But, it was no use. Kise easily overpowered him and dunked it straight into the hoop. He gritted his teeth.

_He's quicker than me. He's stronger, too. _

He fell to the ground with a loud thud while Kise landed smoothly on his feet. He scowled irritably while glaring up at the blonde haired male. Kise on the other hand, kept a relaxed face while looking down on Kagami.

Mayumi's eyes darkened slightly. She knew that this match was between the two only, but she felt the familiar feeling of wanting to help. She let out a deep breath to calm herself down, and tried to relax a bit. Kuroko felt his eyes wandering towards her, curious about her reaction to Kise's improvement.

She bit her lip before recalling his abilities. _'He learns plays as soon as he sees them and makes them his own.'_

"So this is the Generation of Miracles." Kawahara said, amazed. He turned to Kuroko and Mayumi. "Kuroko, Mayumi-chan, your friend is too good."

Mayumi felt her frown deepen. Kuroko spoke up, frowning too. "I don't know that person."

"Huh?"

"To be honest," Mayumi spoke up as well. "We may have underestimated him until now." Her eyebrows furrowed. "It's only been a few months since we didn't see them,"

"But the Generation of Miracles has improved faster than we ever expected." Kuroko finished for her, staring at the two.

Kia grinned. She strolled to the two of them and slung her arms over their shoulders. "Yup." She said, popping the 'p'. "Ki-kun improved far more quickly than I ever expected too." Her eyes softened slightly. Mayumi sighed before asking Kia to take her arm back. She quickly did and smiled sheepishly.

Ayame, who was watching the three of them interact with each other, walked up to them. "So you mean he's far better than you guys had ever expected him to?" They nodded. Ayame scratched the back of her head.

"Well that would be a little troublesome." Her eyes sharpened. "I better remember that."

Mayumi noticed her weird behavior. Ayame seemed relaxed like usual, but there was a certain air about her that was different. She remembered the time when they swore to be the best at Maji Burger. She seemed so serious, like she had a different side of her.

_Just like her._

"Well, I better go help him." Ayame jogged over to where Kise and Kagami were. "Hey, idiot. You never change do you?" Her eyes held slight teasing in them a she reached out a hand to help Kagami up. He grumbled and took her hand, standing up. "Shut it Ayame."

"Hmm, I don't know about this anymore." Kise sighed and scratched the back of his head. Kagami and Ayame looked at him, puzzled.

"After something so disappointing, I can't just leave now." He started to walk towards the team.

"Please give us Kuroko-cchi and Mayumi-cchi." The team except for the named two tensed up. Kia brightened up and speeded next to Kise.

"Yes, yes! Come on and join our team!" She stretched out a hand to them, grinning. Kise mimicked her actions, smiling. "Let's play basketball together again."

Everyone at the scene let out a surprised gasp. Kagami and Ayame felt their eyes darken. If it was one that they have in common, it was that they hated it when somebody just comes waltzing in and steals their friends like it was nobody's business. Kagami felt a scowl form again, while Ayame gripped the edge of her shirt tightly.

Kuroko and Mayumi kept a cool and calm face. "I seriously respect you guys, Kuroko-cchi and Mayumi-cchi."

"It's a waste of your talents to stay here!" Kia added in.

"Ne, what do you think?"

Mayumi stared at them with a serious face. They weren't joking, she knew them for too long to not notice when they were. They really wanted them to go to their school. But… She felt herself glance at Kuroko. He caught her gaze and nodded, barely visible to others. She felt a tiny smile curl up the edges of her lips.

"We are honored to hear you say that." Kuroko started.

"But," Mayumi put her hands in front of her. In unison, they both bowed.

"We must respectfully decline your offer."

"That sounds weird." Kise sweatdropped.

"Plus, you two are so in sync that it's kinda freaking me out a little." Kia confessed, smiling sheepishly. Kuroko and Mayumi both blinked blankly.

"Besides, this isn't like you guys." Kise frowned, regaining his composure. "Winning was everything! Why didn't you go somewhere better?" Mayumi flinched as his words stabbed her like a knife, her hands forming into fists. Kuroko noticed her sudden change in behavior. He wasn't the only one though, Kagami and Ayame noticed too.

"I know that." Mayumi said. Kise and Kia also noticed her change.

"Mayumi-cchi?"

"I know that." She repeated. "I know that winning was everything,_ used _to be everything." She continued, her fists tightening. "But that's why I got carried away. I got too into it, that I-" She but her lip and looked down. Kuroko frowned and put his hand on hers, squeezing it tightly. She looked up.

"Stop it." He said strongly, that everyone was surprised. "Stop remembering what happened that time. Don't focus on it, I know you can't forget about it, but don't let it keep you down forever." His eyes softer and he spoke in a gentler voice. "Okay?"

She looked into his light blue eyes. Feeling herself take a deep breath, she nodded softly as he let go of her hand.

Kise found it hard to continue talking, so he kept quiet, along with Kia. Kuroko looked to the both of them again.

"To summarize what she was going to say," He started. "Our way of thinking had changed since then. More importantly, we made a promise to Kagami-kun and Ayame-san." He glanced at the named two before turning back to Kise. "We told them that we will defeat you, the Generation of Miracles."

Kia frowned softly while Kise frowned deeper. "It really isn't like you to joke around like that."

All of a sudden, they heard laughter right behind them. Kise and Kia turned around to see Kagami and Ayame right behind them, Kagami with his hands on his hips and Ayame's hands crossed over her chest. He was smirking as he looked at them.

"What was that? Stop stealing my lines, Kuroko." His smirk widened. Ayame smiled, but it wasn't her usual smile. It was cold but mischievous at the same time, which sent a shiver through Mayumi's body.

"The fact that I am not good at jokes doesn't change." Kuroko stated blankly. He gazed at Kise and Kia seriously. Mayumi also stared at them without any humor in her eyes.

"I'm serious."

Kise was shocked for a second. Kia was biting her lip softly. But then, Kise quickly overcame his surprise, and let out a slightly sad smirk. Kia had also smiled sadly, and the normal happiness in her eyes faded to something darker.

It was quiet. It was just the six of them staring at each other. It might have been their imagination, but they felt like the air was getting heavier as the clock ticked.

…

The day passed by after Kise and Kia left. It might have been her imagination, but she felt like the air was still heavy with tension, even after the blondes had left.

Mayumi was completely out of it. She couldn't focus on anything, and it seemed like Ayame was the same too. She kept fidgeting uncontrollably and her gaze was completely set onto the ground.

It might have been one of the most awkward moments of her life. So when Riko had announced that practice as over, she was more than relieved. Ayame had bounced up as soon as the announcement was finished and raced next to Kagami, a water bottle and towel in her hands.

Mayumi jut stood up calmly from the benches and walked over to Kuroko with a towel and a water bottle in hand. She stood in front of him and passed him the two.

"Here." He glanced at her face for a second before accepting both items graciously.

"Thank you."

After he had finished changing, they were walking home together as always. Ayame and Kagami were nowhere in sight, as if they mysteriously disappeared. Mayumi did mind a bit though, she had thought that maybe both of them could clear the awkward air around her and Kuroko. But then she thought that they probably had some problems after the incident today too, and needed time for themselves as well. So biting her lip softly, they walked down the dimming streets of Tokyo together.

She glanced to the side. Kuroko seemed relaxed, as if this was every normal day. But his eyes told different, and she found out that the day had affected him as much as her, but he was just better at hiding it.

All of sudden he spoke up, breaking her train of thought. "Mayumi-chan?"

Startled, she answered him, "Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

Truthfully, she had no idea whether she was. But she really didn't want to cause anymore worries for him so she just put on a smile and said, "I'm fine."

Kuroko wasn't stupid though. He had caught on to the slight tremble in her voice. He frowned softly.

"Please stop lying."

_As expected of him, he knows me too well._

She really shouldn't have been thinking that right now, but she smiled slightly. "Maybe."

He frowned deeper and she let out a small laugh, clearing the heavy air between them. "Okay, maybe I'm not. But," She looked up, staring at slowly turning darker sky. "I'm not really sure either." She looked at him from the corner of her eye. "What about you?"

"Maybe." He copied what she had said earlier. "But to be honest, I don't know." He stopped in his tracks, and she did too, staring at him.

"All I know is that tomorrow," He gazed at her, and she did the same, their eyes boring into each other.

"Will be very eventful."

…

_2009/4/16 Tuesday_

_Dear Diary,_

_Today was… very unsettling._

_They day started out fine, maybe even good, but it all went downhill from there. I had to get cheered up by Tetsuya-kun again. I really have to stop making him worry so much._

_Putting that aside, Ryouta and Kia visited. They seemed healthy so that was good. Taiga challenged Ryouta, and it did not end well for him which caused him to ask us to join his team, Kaijo. He also brought up some memories, which I really didn't want to remember again._

_We rejected him. I just couldn't not after I made a promise to Taiga and Ayame too. I made a promise, and I will stick to it. I'm just worried, worried that Ryouta or Taiga will do something… well, dumb._

_I'm not in the mood for writing anymore. By the way, we also have a practice match with Kaijo tomorrow._

_I hope nothing goes wrong._

_Goodnight Diary._

_9:40 Sanada Mayumi _

…

The next day was sunny and warm, perfect weather for a day to start out.

The Seirin team was walking through the grounds of Kaijo. It was a private school, so it was really big and pretty in Mayumi's opinion. Ayame was looked around, fascinated. Kuroko was monotone as usual, but Kagami…

His eyes were red, like he didn't get enough sleep.

"Kagami-kun, the look in your eyes is worse than usual." Kuroko said, looking at the taller male. Ayame noticed and bounded over to him, tip toeing up to his eye level.

"He's right, did you get enough sleep?" Her face was dangerously close to his. He quickly looked to the side.

"Shut up." He grumbled as they continued walking. "I was a little too excited." He replied, pinching the bridge of his nose. Ayame snickered lightly.

"Are you a kid before a field trip or what?" She teased him lightly, making him react violently. "What'd you say?"

Mayumi and Kuroko were smiling at the two from beside them. For a moment, it felt peaceful, like nothing wrong could happen today.

Until they all heard a voice calling them, "Hey, guys!"

They all looked up to see the blonde haired teen running towards them with a big smile on his face. Kagami jerked at seeing him. "Kise?!"

He ran to the Seirin team who stopped upon his arrival. "This place is huge, so I thought I'd come and get you."

"Hello." Riko greeted him while Kagami walked up to him. "Oi, Kise- hey!"

But he completely ignored Kagami, and walked straight in front of Kuroko and Mayumi.

"Kuroko-cchi, Mayumi-cchi, ever since you turned down our invitation to join us, I've been crying into my pillow every night you know?" he pretended to cry, using his arm as a pillow. Mayumi sweatdropped.

'_But it was just yesterday…' _Then she noticed something strange.

"Ryouta." He stopped his fake crying.

"Yes?"

"Where's Kia?" She asked, slightly fearing for the worst. Not having Kia by Kise's side really unnerved her because they were always together.

"Oh, Kia-cchi." His eyes darkened slightly. "There… There's been a slight problem at the gym. She's just trying to fix it." He explained, though Mayumi felt something was off. She glanced at Kuroko's way to find that his eyes showed that he was troubled too. "But, anyway back to the subject," and the dark look from Kise's eyes faded.

"What's with that guy?"

"Just show us around already!"

But the blonde paid no attention to Hyuuga and Kagami, instead continuing to talk to Kuroko and Mayumi. "Not even a girl has turned me down before you know?" Mayumi sweatdropped again.

'_I'm not really seeing how it's connecting to what he's saying…"_

She let out a small sigh, and spoke up the same time as Kuroko. "Could you please stop being so sarcastic?"

'_As expected of the two, perfect synchronization.' _The team thought as they watched them interact with Kise.

At that statement, Kise's eyes darkened slightly, and narrowed. "That's why, I'm a little interested in the people who's been making Kuroko-cchi and Mayumi-cchi say those kind of things." He turned to look at Kagami and Ayame. Smirking slightly, he started walking past them.

"I don't care much about being called the Generation of Miracles," He paused. "But I can't ignore an obvious challenge like that." Kagami's eyes narrowed slightly while Ayame smiled coldly as they turned to look at him.

"I'm not mature enough to let it slide." His smirk widened slightly.

"Sorry, but I'm going to crush you with all the strength I have."

In return, Kagami and Ayame smirked back, completely unfazed by his threat.

"Interesting."

…

They were in Kaijo's gym the next thing Mayumi knew.

They were standing at the entrance, and it was bigger than the gym Seirin had. But the odd thing was that half of the court was blocked, and it was being used for…

"Practice?" She murmured softly as her eyes scanned the area. Riko tilted her head to the side questionably.

"Are we using only half of the court?" Just then, a rather plump man appeared along with Kia, who was currently arguing with him.

"Why don't we use the full court?!" She fumed angrily.

"You know the very reason why Kia, stop bringing this up already!" The man told her, trying to keep his anger down. But Kia didn't seem to care.

"I don't understand! At the way you're doing things it seems like you're underestimating them!" She gritted her teeth. The man just sighed angrily in response and turned to where the Seirin team was standing.

"Oh, you're here. Welcome. I'm Coach Takeuchi." Kia had then noticed the team and stopped raising her voice. She spotted Mayumi and she was sure that Kia was going to hug her, but to her surprise, she just stormed next to Kise and crossed her arms over her chest. Kise smiled sympathetically at her.

"So no luck?"

"None at all." She frowned angrily. "I just don't understand." Kise just patted her head softly.

"It's okay Kia-cchi."

Mayumi was curious, but decided to focus on their coach and Kaijo's coach. "By the way, which one of you is the coach?" Kaijo's coach asked confusedly.

"Ah, that's me." Riko spoke up.

"Huh? You? You're not the manager?" He pointed at her in surprise. Riko frowned.

"I'm Coach Aida Riko. These two are the managers by the way." She gestured to Mayumi and Ayame. "We look forward to playing with you today!"

"Um… Yeah." He scratched the back of his head.

"Um, can I ask? What is this?" Riko gestured to the other side of court which was being used for practice.

"Exactly what it looks like." Coach Takeuchi replied. "We've only made simple arrangements for today's match."

"Arrangements?" Riko gave a bitter smile.

"There won't be enough to learn from this game to make it worth watching for the others sitting out." He told them casually.

Mayumi twitched. _'So it means he's underestimating us?' _Suddenly, the conversation between Kia and the coach made sense. _'Kia probably wanted to stop this.' _She glanced at the fuming blonde before turning her attention back to the two coaches.

"I see." Riko's smile became tighter, as if she was holding back her desire to punch the lights out of other coach.

"We're having the other players practice as usual so we don't waste time." Coach Takeuchi took a look at the light blue clipboard he was holding. "Despite the arrangements, you'll be playing our regulars." He looked at them again. "I hope you won't let us triple your score."

Mayumi gave a bitter smile which Kuroko noticed. She really, really hated it when people underestimated them like that. It was so annoying. She let out a frustrated sigh.

"It's okay." She turned to the sound of Kuroko's soft, whispering voice. "We'll just have to make them use the full court." He gave a small smile. She felt herself smiling back, though not as relaxed.

She looked at Riko again, and was surprised to feel the murderous aura emitting form her. But just then, another aura was emitting furious anger just as violently as Riko's too. She looked at where the other aura came from, and to her surprise, it was coming from Ayame.

"Oh, we're going to make him pay, big time." Ayame twitched violently, which Kagami gritted his teeth in approval.

"They're think we suck. They're treating this like a sideshow to their practice." His voice trembled with anger. Kuroko and Mayumi watched them both, and smiled softly as they realized how alike they were.

Back with Kaijo, Kise was wearing his uniform as Kia was sitting in front of him, mumbling angrily at the ground. Just then, their coach walked by and noticed them. "Kise, why are you wearing you're uniform? You're not playing." This caught Kia's attention.

"What?!" She exclaimed loudly, catching the attention of the Seirin team and the other Kaijo players. "You've got to be kidding me!" She stood up and marched over to him angrily. "I know you won't let us use the full court and I'm not going to yap about that any more, but not sending Ki-kun out is going too far coach!" She half-shouted at him, trying to keep her anger from going overboard.

"I know we've got star players from all the middle schools, but Kise's on a whole different level." He replied, a little angry at Kia. Kise's eyes widened in shock.

"Coach, what are you saying? Seriously stop saying that." He tried to tell him, but it was fruitless. "If I let you play it won't be a game anymore." He shook the two of them off and walked away. Kia gritted her teeth angrily and while Kise looked over to the Seirin team worriedly.

"He said it, didn't he?" Hyuuga said, clearly angry.

"I haven't been this angry in a while." Izuki growled, his eyes turning grayish.

Kise and Kia ran over to them. "I'm sorry. Seriously, I'm so sorry." Kise apologized. "I'll be on the bench. So-" Kia cut him off.

"The only way to make him come out and use the full court is to crush the others." She told them, her arms crossed over her chest. Mayumi haven't seen her so angry for a while, that it reminded her that she was not always the happy-go-lucky innocent girl all the time.

"Besides, if you can't force the coach to put me in, you shouldn't go around saying you'll beat the Generation of Miracles." Kise said, his eyes sharpening, as if he was challenging them.

Just then, Kaijo's coach called from the other side. "Hey, show the Seirin guys to the locker room."

"No, it's fine." Kuroko and Mayumi spoke up at the same time as the team began moving. "Please warm up." The two of them looked forward.

"We don't have time to wait."

"What?" Kise and Kia were both genuinely surprised at that, but then their surprise quickly disappeared.

'_I'll be looking forward to it.'_

…

"Let the practice game between Seirin High and Kaijo High begin!"

"All right, let's go!" Hyuuga shouted to his teammates, who replied with a, "Hai!"

In no time at all, they were all lined up, but there was something odd. The referee only saw four members lined up, not five.

"Um, we're about to get started, so Seirin, please have your five lined up." He said. But just then,

"Um, there are five of us." He looked to the side to see Kuroko with his hand raised.

"Gah!" It caused a strong reaction between the referee and the Kaijo members.

"What the…"

"He's got no presence."

"He's one of their starters?"

Mayumi heard whispers from the people who were practicing on the other side. She frowned, and clutched the hem of her skirt. She did not like it.

"He was right in front of me, and I didn't even notice him." One of the starting members said in disbelief. He turned to look at another. "What about you, Kasamatsu?"

"Me neither." He replied. Mayumi tilted her head. Kasamatsu… She felt like she heard that name somewhere before.

"Kasamatsu Yukio." She turned to the side to see Ayame. "He's the captain the Kaijo team. He's the one with his 'socks' up to his thighs so it's easy to spot him when he's playing." She stared at Kaijo.

"The one with the lightest brown hair and the second tallest is Hayakawa Mitsuhiro. He's the Power Forward of the team." She started to list off all the names of the team members. "The tallest one is Kobori Koji. He's the Center of the team. Finally, the third tallest with black hair is Moriyama Yoshitaka, the Shooting Guard. I've never seen the other guy before though." Riko and Mayumi were both surprised.

"How did you…" Riko trailed off. Ayame grinned happily.

"That's my ability. I can remember all the players I have seen before, and their states and stuff too. But, since that I only remember their past states, I can't tell how powerful they are right now." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not very helpful in strategy planning and all that thinking stuff so I figured this is the only way I could pitch in."

"Wow." Riko commented. "This'll be quite useful in oncoming matches. What do you think Mayumi-chan?" She looked at her. Mayumi nodded.

"Yes, it will be useful." She mused, looking at the other side. "Useful indeed."

At the Kaijo bench, Kia was doing in all her power not to blow up anymore as she heard her coach. "This is ridiculous. After all their boasting, I thought they'd have some decent players."

"I wonder about that." They both turned to look at Kise at the same time.

"You might be right." A smirk started to crawl up to his face. Kia also felt her own grin coming up.

"They're not just decent."

The game was about to start. Riko was looking at each player with her eyebrows furrowed, and Mayumi understood why. With one look, even Mayumi could tell that the opposite team was strong, stronger than the average player. Her red eyes scanned each player and she begun to think.

'_It's not that surprising knowing that they're strong at the national level. But we got Taiga and Tetsuya-kun. The only thing I'm worried about is,' _She glanced at the two. _'Will they last long against them?'_

The whistle blew, signaling the start of the game.


	4. Chapter 4 It's better if we can't win

**Kuroko no Basket: NEW!**

**Chapter 4: It's Better if We Can't Win**

Kagami and Kobori jumped at the same time, reaching for the ball. They were both even, but the one who got the ball was Kobori, meaning the ball was Kaijo's for now. Kasamatsu caught the ball which was sent flying to him, and he bounced it while holding one of his fingers up.

"All right, one shot, let's keep it up!"

Now.

However, Kasamatsu didn't notice that someone was near him, and he did not notice the hand ready either. In a flash, Kuroko was in front of him, and he stole the ball from Kasamatsu's hands. Kasamatsu's eyes widened with shock, as did the other players.

Kuroko ran towards the hoop, ball bouncing. "Where the hell did he come from?!" Kasamatsu shouted in slight panic as he chased after Kuroko with Hayakawa, though easily catching up to the blue haired male without a sweat.

'_He's slow.' _Kasamastu thought while smirking in triumph. He was ready. He was ready to stop him. He was ready to take the ball back. However, things didn't go as he planned.

In a quick motion of his hands, Kuroko passed the ball behind him, and Kagami had caught it. The ball now in the possessions of tall red headed male, he jumped and dunked in the ball victoriously with one hand.

"Haaaaa!" Kagami shouted ferociously. Kasamatsu gaped at the display of power.

_How did he…?_

Mayumi smirked as she watched the other coach. His mouth was open wide, and his eyes were widened with shock. She hoped that he regretted underestimating Seirin now. Ayame had also seen the other coach, and snickered softly.

"Serves him right." She heard her mutter.

"All right!" Kagami shouted victoriously with his hands raised, the basketball hoop in one hand. Wait… what?

"Wha-" Kagami gasped in surprise, his eyes trailing up to where the hoop used to be. It was cleanly broken off, and the marks on the board showed it. Everybody stared at him in disbelief and shock.

"Wow!"

"What? He broke the hoop!"

"Holy-"

Ayame's eyes were wide open along with Kia who was gaping at the scene. Mayumi's eyes narrowed as she stared at the hoop in Kagami's hand. One of the bolts was a different color than the others.

'_So one of the bolts was rusty… That's how he tore off the goal.' _Her eyes trailed to the board. _'Still, I didn't expect him to break it out of all things.'_

"That thing's dangerous. One of the bolts is rusted." Izuki said, staring at the used-to-be goal.

"Even so, that's not normal." Kasamatsu murmured beside him, eyes focused on the destroyed goal.

"This thing is bigger than I thought." Kagami commented casually, like destroying another school's basketball hoop was normal. Which, clearly was not. Ayame stifled a laugh, before bursting into laughter, attracting the players' attention.

"Ahahahaha! Oh my god, that, was amazing." She wiped a tear from her eye. "Oi Taiga!" She called out to him. "That's the first time you broke a hoop and all you have to say is, "This thing is bigger than I thought"?" She grinned at him teasingly and he scowled.

"Shut up Ayame!"

"I'm so sorry!" Mayumi was focused on Riko who was bowing to the coach in apology. Kuroko and Kagami both walked over to him.

"I'm so sorry that we broke your hoop." Kuroko said, bowing in apology. "Since we cannot play like this, may we use the full court?" Mayumi felt a small smile creeping up to her lips as Kagami grinned.

The coach did not look happy. His teeth were gritted, and he was glaring at the two of them in anger.

A few minutes later, the other players who did not participate in the match were getting the court ready for the match. The hoops were lowered from both sides of the court, and seeing that Mayumi felt a small sense of satisfaction. Kuroko had walked over to Mayumi while she had smiled.

"Nice job Tetsuya." She murmured softly. "I'm proud of you." Kuroko smiled softly.

"I think you should say thanks to Kagami-kun, Mayumi-chan." She let out a small laugh before shaking her head.

"I think if it was Kagami asking, he wouldn't have worded it out as nicely as you." She said. "Plus, he is being thanked." Her eyes trailed to Kagami who was being hugged by Ayame. Kuroko followed her gaze, and smiled too.

"You're right."

"Nice going Taiga!" Ayame cheered as she hugged Kagami. Due the difference in height, she only reached his chest so her face was buried in it. "You're amazing!"

"Hey, cut it out!" He shouted in half-anger, though his cheeks were stained red. He looked really flustered at her actions, but the orange haired girl remained oblivious, which only made it a lot easier to tease Kagami later, Mayumi and Kuroko both thought.

Both of them laughed quietly at the two before hearing a voice behind them,

"Now that's what you call a beating." All four of them turned their heads to Kise and Kia who were standing in front of them, Kise's hands on his hips while Kia's was tucked behind her back.

"I've never seen the coach like that before." Kise commented casually. "Not even when Kia had argued with him too." Kia had frowned at that. "I'm still not happy, but at least we can use the full court now." The frown was replaced with a bright smile.

Kagami growled as Ayame released him from her strong grip. "You should tell him that's what he gets for underestimating us like that!"

"By the way…" Mayumi trailed off, glancing at Kuroko. He nodded at her and they both said at the same time,

"How much do you think a hoop costs?"

"Huh?!" This sent a strong reaction through Kagami. "We have to pay for that?"

"What do you think, idiot?" Ayame teased him as she skipped off. "Come on Mayumi, the game's gonna start soon~"

"Hai. Well then, good luck." She smiled gently at the two of them and followed Ayame soon after. She didn't notice that Kuroko had his eyes focused on her, wondering why his heart beated ever so slightly when she said that.

…

"Let the game resume!"

It was starting again. This time though, with a new player. Mayumi felt her body tense at the sight of him, Kise Ryouta. His aura giving off waves of confidence, and his face showed no signs of panic. He was completely relaxed and calm, which sent a bad feeling through Mayumi. On the other bench, Kia seemed to radiate an air of confidence as well, like she was 100% sure that they wouldn't lose.

"Hmm, they sent him out huh…" Ayame muttered, her eyes focusing on the blond. "Better remember his plays."

Mayumi's eyes narrowed as she focused on the match.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting." Kise said, his eyes darkening. A smirk crawled onto his face, but Kagami didn't even flinch.

"Finally." Kagami smirked back at him.

"He's way too intense for a model when his switch is on." Hyuuga commented, looking at Kise cautiously.

"He's not putting on a show." Kuroko stated his eyes blank but focused. The air grew heavier around them, each one of their muscles tensing up for what would happen next. The air seemed to be filled with tension, not one of them moving a muscle as they stared at each other with cautious eyes.

Just then, they all heard it. The sound that sliced through the silence.

What was it, you may ask?

It's the huge horde of fangirls for Kise of course. They squealed and screamed his name, over and over again like mad dogs. It interrupted the atmosphere that Mayumi was looking forward to. She couldn't lay a hand on them so all she did was stare at them in irritation.

"Kise-kun!"

"Good luck!"

"Kya~!"

Mayumi felt her eye twitch. Always the same thing… This horde of fangirls cheering for him had started since Middle School when he started basketball. Mayumi stared at Kise, who didn't look fazed at all. In fact…

"Thanks for coming!" Kise said as he waved to them cheerfully.

…He was a little too happy.

Kagami blinked. "Eh?"

"What's that?" Hyuuga asked Kasamatsu, who was behind him.

"Oh, that?" Kasamatsu sighed, irritated. "This happens every time he plays."

Kia, who was watching them at the side, gave a small sigh. "Mou, why can't they start already?" She frowned at Kise who was still waving to the screaming girls. A small feeling of jealousy sparked in her. Why did he always have to be so nice to all of them…? Sure he's a model and all, and he has to be nice to his fans so that he wouldn't lose popularity... She knows it too; after all she is the same. Yet… She stared at the shrieking group of fangirls and the blonde waving to all of them like a celebrity.

…She didn't like it. Not one bit. So she cupped her mouth with both hands and shouted.

"Ki-kun! Stop waving at them! Kasamatsu-senpai, please give him your hardest hit!" Her voice echoed through the gym.

"Gladly." He ran towards Kise, and jumped, flying kicking the waving blonde. Mayumi sweatdropped while Ayame laughed at the scene. "Kise, quit waving to them! I'll hit you!"

"Ow…" Kise moaned in pain as he got up. "You already hit me, Kasamasu-senpai." He rubbed the spot that Kasamatsu had hit him.

"Besides that, do you even understand the current situation, Kise?" Kasamatsu growled, irritated by his kohai's attitude. "Who the hell is number 10?"

"Number 10? Oh, that's Kagami." He told him without any signs of worry, glancing at the red head.

"Kagami, I've never heard of him." Kasamatsu frowned, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Forget about him. The guy who stole the ball from you, number 11…" Kise said with his eyes bright and filled with excitement. "That's my teammate from Teiko, Kuroko-cchi. Isn't he amazing? Right, right?"

Kasamastu frowned deeper. He didn't understand why the blonde seemed so happy. "Why are you so happy?" He growled as he punched Kise in the gut. He groaned in pain, again. "In any case, they gave us quite a greeting." His eyes narrowed.

"It'd be rude if we don't return the favor."

At that, Kise smirked, his eyes sharpening.

The whistle blew.

Kasamatsu had the ball as he dribbled it to the other team's hoop. Kise was also running towards the hoop. Although he was being blocked by many players, he did not so much as falter as he ran pass by all of them, dodging them skillfully.

The ball bounced on the ground as Kasamatsu passed it to Kise. Grabbing the ball, he jumped.

"HAAAAA!" he shouted as he dunked the ball in the hoop. Mayumi's eyes widened. Fangirls screamed. Kia twitched.

The hoop tilted dangerously, as if it was about to be torn off. Luckily, it didn't and Kise felt to the ground, landing on his feet smoothly.

In a flash however, Kasamatsu had ran towards him, and flying kicked him, again.

"…Eh?" Ayame blinked along with Mayumi.

"Uh…" Even Kia had to facepalm at the weird display.

"You idiot, I told you to break it!" he yelled at him. Mayumi sweatdropped.

'_I don't think it would be a good thing if it did… but that dunk,' _she gazed at Kise. _'Had more power than when Taiga did it.'_

"I can't say the same thing for girls," Kise started as he passed by Kagami. "But I've never failed to return a favor. " He smirked, full of confidence. Seeing that, Kagami felt slight irritation, but the excitement of playing against a strong opponent was stronger soon took over his body.

"You…" Kagami smirked, his eye twitching. "Bring it on!"

…

This time the ball was in Hyuuga's hands.

He dribbled it as he ran towards the hoop. It was crazy, being on the same court as them, he thought about Kise and Kagami. It was lucky that one of them was part of their team. He saw Kuroko was nearby, so he passed it to him as quickly as he could.

Faster than you could blink, Kuroko changed the pass course to Kagami, who caught it successfully. It was faster than Kasamatsu could even comprehend.

_What is this guy? _He scowled as he stared at Kuroko in deep thought. _Who is he?_

With a ferocious yell, Kagami dunked in the ball with all his power. He could feel his muscles tensed up. He could feel the familiar burst of adrenaline rushing through his veins. He hasn't felt this alive in a long time. "Let's go all out here too!"

"Yeah!"

The match continued. It was one of those high paced games, the-you-have-to-concentrate-really-hard-in-order-to-understand-what's-going-on kind of game. Honestly, Mayumi haven't felt this worked up in a long time either. It wasn't everyday where your team competes with a national level team after all. It was filled with energy and life, the kind of game that gets your blood pumping even if you weren't actually playing in it.

"Woah," Ayame grinned. Seirin was one point higher than Kaijo. "It's only been three minutes since they started, and already this high paced play?"

"You don't like it?" Mayumi asked, not taking her eyes off the match. From the corner of her eye, she could tell that Ayame had grinned in response to her question.

"Are you kidding? I _love_ it, the energy, the excitement, everything." Her hands trembled with excitement. Mayumi looked down only to find that hers were trembling as well.

"Now, I wonder who's gonna win?"

The ball was passed to Kagami.

Dunk.

This time it was passed to Kise.

Dunk.

It was full on match of the 'Generation of Miracles.' Neither was willing to give up, and they were just doing the best they could. But Kise wasn't the only problem however.

'_The other four are just as intense as Kise.' _Hyuuga thought, gritting his teeth as he tried to pass by Moriyama. He wasn't letting Hyuuga move much, which was really frustrating for the black haired male. _'This is almost more than I can handle.' _

He passed the ball to Izuki, who passed it Kuroko. _'If it weren't for Kagami and Kuroko, they'd have won this game already.'_

Kuroko felt the ball being passed in his direction. Moving his arms, he changed the course of the ball to curve straight into Kagami's hands. The ball just passed by so fast that it was hard for the other team to keep up.

Kagami and Kise were running towards the hoop. Neither was willing to give in no matter what. Kagami had jumped and had attempted to shoot, his body slightly leaned backwards.

'_With that speed, he's going into a fadeaway… but,' _Mayumi eyes sharpened. _'He shouldn't have done that. Because…'_

Kagami was sure that it would make it. He believed that he could make it, so he shot. But,it didn't make it. Kise had jumped and stole the ball just he had shot it.

'… _He can steal it.'_

Kise dribbled the ball towards Seirin's hoop. Kagami chased after him, determined not to let him score. He had attempted to block Kise from going any further, but it was no use. Kise skillfully dodged Kagami and leaned backwards, shooting the ball into the hoop.

Kagami was shocked. _'A fadeaway? He's copying me again.'_

The ball went in successfully. Satisfied, Kise had started to run back towards Kiajo's hoop, smirking confidently. Seeing Kise so relaxed without a care in the world only made Kagami angrier. _'And he keeps getting better!'_

"Don't stop now, move your feet!" Hyuuga shouted, almost desperately, trying to encourage his team. He bounced the ball to the opponent's goal, sweat dripping down his forehead.

'_Damn, we can't stop yet.' _He gritted his teeth. _'We have to move!'_

"Captain." A sudden voice behind startled him.

"Gah!" He yelped, looking behind to see Kuroko. "Where'd you come from?! Wait, why are you talking to me?" Kuroko didn't seem surprised at his reaction.

"I need a time out." The blue haired boy requested, panting. "The high paced play is a little harsh on my body."

"What?" Hyuuga panted. "How can you be so weak?" Kuroko frowned slightly.

"We also need Kagami-kun to cool down." Kuroko stated. "The harder Kagami-kun plays, the harder Kise-kun plays. If we keep going on like this, it'll take everything we have just to keep up and it will only get worse." He told his captain a little tiredly.

Hyuuga went quiet for a moment. _'He's talking more than usual. Could this be worse than I thought?' _he glanced at the side as well to see that Coach and Mayumi were talking to the referees, and by the looks of it, requesting a time out.

'_Looks like it.' _Hyuuga furrowed his eyebrows. _'Coach and Mayumi-chan must be thinking the same thing.' _

They played for a few more seconds, neither team scoring. Until then, they all heard a voice, interrupting the high paced match.

"Seirin, time out." The whistle blew.

In a few more minutes, all of the players were resting on the bench, looking tired. Most were drinking from their water bottles while others wiped their faces with towels. Mayumi examined all of them to find that most of them were really tired, too tired just for playing for five minutes.

'_It's not strange or anything, after all I don't think that they're used to this kind of fast switch between offense and defense.' _Mayumi thought, frowning. _'But this isn't good. I have to think of something, fast.'_

Suddenly, a harsh voice from the other side of the court caught Seirin's attention.

"What are you guys doing?! How many points are you gonna let them take?!" It was Kaijo's coach, and he looked anything but happy. He was scolding the players for not taking enough points from them, but in Kia's opinion, he was overreacting too much.

She frowned as she heard him scold them. "Is the defense asleep or something? Huh?!"

"We're sorry." She heard Kobori-senpai apologize.

"To be honest, this isn't easy." She heard Moriyama say to their captain.

"Yeah, that first year duo is brutal." Kasamatsu replied. He looked at Kise right after he said those words. "You should be able to handle Kagami but," He paused, remembering the quick steals and passes that a certain player did. "What's with that invisible Kuroko guy?" He scowled.

Kise however, looked happy at the mention of his name. "I know, right? Kuroko-cchi 's actually-"

"Why the hell are you so happy?" Kasamatsu punched Kise in the side, causing the latter to flinch in pain. He dug his fist harder into Kise's side, but Kise gently pulled away his hand. Needless to say Kasamatsu was surprised.

"It's okay." Kise smirked. "The balance will tip soon enough." Kia then decided to speak up.

"I don't about that Ki-kun, Kasamatsu-senpai." The two turned to her, surprised that she overheard them.

"Kia-cchi?"

"Ki-kun, look a Mayu-chan." She stated, narrowing her eyes. "She's definitely thinking of something." Kise trailed his eyes to the Seirin side to see that the ruby eyed girl was staring at the court, her eyes clouded with something that he was well accustomed to.

"You're right." Kise said in agreement. Kasamatsu was confused.

"Who, one of Seirin's managers?" he asked and the two of them nodded.

"Sanada Mayumi, the red eyed girl with black hair. She was a manager for the 'Generation of Miracles' just like me." Kia informed the captain. He furrowed his eyebrows in thought.

"Sanada Mayumi? I don't think I've heard of her…" He murmured.

"That's because you never did, no, it'd be strange if you did." Kise said. He looked at him in surprise.

"What?"

"She's… different from me." Kia said with her eyes filled with adoration for Mayumi. "And if she's getting fired up, then," The two blondes shared a knowing look, with Kia grinning and Kise smirking.

"Then it's gonna get harder from here."

Meanwhile, Riko had set up a small white board that had a picture of the court drawn on it, with small black circles to mark their players. The team was gathered around her, listening to her every word.

"First, we have to stop Kise-kun." Riko started.

"I can't believe that even Kagami can't stop him." Hyuuga said out loud, thinking deeply. "Should we put one more person on him?" To that, Kagami reacted immediately.

"What? Hey wait! ... Please." He forced the last part out. Riko blinked.

"Please?"

"There is a way." Everybody focused their attention onto the unusually quiet Mayumi. She was staring at the small board, deep in thought. Everybody tensed up, waiting for her to reveal it.

"They have a weakness, just like us." Mayumi said. There mixed reactions of shock, confusion and disbelief.

"What?"

"If you known that, why didn't you-" Hyuuga was cut off by her.

"I wasn't sure whether it was weak enough to be called one." Mayumi stated bluntly. "To be honest, maybe our weakness is stronger as well. But, there's another problem." She gazed at Kuroko.

"Tetsuya. It's wearing off, isn't it?"

"What?" Riko faced the said person. "Wearing off?"

"…" Kuroko was quiet for a moment, as if he was taking time to think. A few seconds later, he spoke up. "I'm sorry."

"Hah?"

"I should've said this sooner but," He continued, unfazed by Riko's exclaim. "Due to the unnaturally high-paced play, my effectiveness is wearing off."

"Wait-What?" The entire was speechless. Mayumi continued off from where Kuroko had left.

"Tetsuya can't use his Misdirection for a full 40 minutes, but because the game is moving too fast, it's taking up more of his effectiveness." Mayumi explained to the team. "The more he uses it, the more the other team will get used to it, and the effect gradually becomes ineffective."

"Huh…" Ayame, who was looking at the two of them, frowned. "That's kinda important, huh? But I need to ask-" The orange haired girl was cut off by the brown haired coach.

"Why didn't you tell us something so important sooner?!" She shouted in anger at the two, clutching both of them in a headlock.

"Ack… Going to die…" Mayumi gasped for air, Kuroko doing the same.

"I'm… Sorry… You… Didn't… Ask…" He whispered out the last part. Due to that, Riko's grip became tighter.

"Do you not say anything unless you're asked?!" She yelled louder. Her eyes darkened and narrowed with anger, not at the duo, but at herself.

'_I was a fool to think we could pull this ridiculous move off without any risks… I'm such an idiot!'_

The whistle blew, signaling the end of the time out.

"The time out is over!"

"Eh? All I got to do was strangle Kuroko-kun and Mayumi-chan!" Riko shouted in disbelief and let the two of them go. They were thankful for that, although that it may take a few more seconds to recover from Riko's 'attack'.

"Hah…" Mayumi sighed as she watched the players walk off to the court. She saw Kagami talking to Riko about something.

"Let me stay on him… please." He had trouble saying the last part out again. Mayumi blinked.

'_He's trying to be polite… but…' _She saw Riko's deadpan expression. _'… Is it even working?'_

"I feel like I'm on to something soon." He told her and headed for the court. Riko's eyes widened momentarily. "Wait!"

The players turn to her. "Anyway for now, switch from man-to-man defense to zone defense. Strengthen the inside and try to stop Kise-kun at all costs." Mayumi frowned.

Yes, that should be the best plan for now. Stopping Ryouta was their utmost priority, but what was this weird feeling in the back of her mind? Something was going to go wrong, she had a strong feeling something bad would happen. That thought nagged her to no end.

"Got it." Hyuuga shot a thumbs up at her and they ran to the court.

However, when Kagami tried to move Mayumi had put a hand on his shoulder, catching his attention.

"Taiga." She leaned in to whisper in his ear. His senses were on high alert, his body tensing for her next words. He had a feeling the next things she was going to say was important.

"Ryouta's weakness is Tetsuya." She said in a barely hearable voice that he had to strain his ears to hear even though she was speaking into it. "He might be the only counter we have against them right now." A thought wandered into his mind after she had said those words.

"Why are you only telling me this?" He tried to whisper in a quiet voice. Her eyes reflected with an emotion that he couldn't make out of.

"Because you are his light." She finished their conversation simply and walked to the bench, where Ayame seemed to watching their every move. Mayumi's footsteps didn't make a single sound that left an eerie feeling hovering over her.

Biting his lip in deep thought about her words, he jogged to the court where everyone was waiting. He could feel Ayame's curious amber eyes piercing into his back which made him hard to focus, so he tried to ignore the stare. His thoughts lingered on Mayumi's words.

_Ryouta's weakness is Tetsuya._

…

The match started.

Kise had the ball. He approached Seirin's hoop fast, only to see that Seirin had switched from man-to-man defense to zone, meaning , they focused on defending the inside, determined not to let Kise score even one point. Kasamatsu, who was watching them, let out an exasperated sigh.

'_It's a box-and-one. They're following up with Kagami in order to stop Kise. I can't believe this.'_

In a swift movement of his hand, Kise had passed the ball to Kasamatsu, who was waiting. When he did however, Izuki had moved in to stop him. That didn't work though, because as soon as Izuki moved, Kasamatsu jumped and shot the ball, scoring an unexpected three-pointer. Izuki's eyes widened with shock.

"Heh." The black haired third-year let out a smirk as he returned to his team. "You're underestimating the Kaijo regulars, aren't you? This is too pathetic." As soon as he said that, Hyuuga wiped some sweat off his chin.

"Man, this is tough."

Izuki could only stare at Kasmatsu in response.

The match continued. Seirin didn't give up and fought, but Kaijo weren't exactly weak either. It was a harsh battle between the two schools, and neither of them was willing to give in no matter what the situation. But it wasn't looking good for Seirin as Kaijo had started to get used to Kuroko's misdirection, cutting in when someone tried to pass to the light blue haired boy.

The point gap got bigger.

Mayumi gritted her teeth silently. At this rate, there was no way they could beat Kaijo unless Kagami managed to pull off the plan she had hinted at. Her fists tightened, and she bit her lip. She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned.

Ayame watched the match with a slightly irritated look on her face. The point gap was getting bigger by the minute, and they couldn't do anything about it. Feeling more annoyed than before, she clicked her tongue before watching the match with a serious expression on her face. Her arms were propped up against her knees and she held her head between her hands.

Kagami had the ball. He dribbled it to Kaijo's hoop quickly, and attempted to score by dunking. However, Kise had reacted just as quickly, if not faster, and leaped in order to block the shot. Startled, he had lost his concentration and the ball went sprawling out of his hands and out of the white line.

The whistle blew. "Out of bounds. White ball."

Kagami scowled, panting heavily. Kise was behind him, but his breaths were steadier than the red haired male. "Why don't you acknowledge it already?" The blonde's voice cut through the silence between them.

"Hah?"

"You're 10 years away from defeating the 'Generation of Miracles'." He had said. Kagami felt his fuse igniting with anger.

"What'd you say?"

Kise only smirked wider, taunting the red head. "The gap between our scores might grow bigger, but it definitely won't go smaller. More than formations or strategies, basketball is about your build. It's a sport of size. The difference between your team and ours is just too much. You were the only one who stood a chance against us, but I somewhat understand how good you are." Kagami scowled in return.

"I'll admit you have potential, but you're no match for me. No matter what you throw at me, with one look, I'll return it twice as strong." Kagami's eyes narrowed with anger. "You can struggle, but you'll never beat me. The real world isn't that easy."

Kagami was quiet. His bangs had shadowed his eyes, making them unable to see. His posture was slightly slumped, as if he was deep in thought. The tension between the two rose, but Kise had kept a relaxed face, as if he knew that he was going to win.

Mayumi's voice echoed in his head.

_Ryouta's weakness is Tetsuya._

It all clicked into place. He finally figured out what she meant. Letting out a smirk, he began to laugh loudly, putting one hand on his hip and one on his forehead.

"Hahahahaha." His laughter grew louder and unexpectedly, it sent a wave of uneasiness through Kise.

"Hahahaha." His laughter had attracted everybody now, and they all stared at him with puzzled looks on their faces.

"Oi,oi,oi." Ayame murmured. "Did he crack his head or something?"

Mayumi stared at Kagami in slight confusion. Kia stared at him in wonder. The Kaijo members had started to feel the same uneasiness as Kise, and they all had a bad feeling that something was about to happen.

"Sorry, sorry." Kagami apologized, his eyes slightly teary from laughing, "I'm just a little happy."

"Happy?" Kise had frowned when Kagami uttered that line. Kagami smiled a genuine smile, like he was enjoying the situation.

"It's been such a long time since anybody said that to me. I heard it all the time over there though." Kise frowned harder.

"Over there?" He raised a question in which Kagami answered, "In America."

"Eh? You lived in America?" That's amazing." The frowning look on Kise's face was replaced with a look of curiousness and slight admiration. Kia's eyes had widened after she heard that before being replaced by stars.

"Wow! He lived in America just like Aya-chan. Waaa~" Her childish exclaim irked the coach next to her. 'I can't believe it! I gotta ask them how's it like over there~"

"Kia." Her coach's voice had snapped her out of her happy daze.

"Eh? Oh, sorry." She said, though not really feeling sorry.

"Anyway, I thought I jumped the gun when I came over here. Hearing you say that is seriously encouraging." Kise's look darkened, and his eyes took on seriousness.

"Life is all about challenges. There's no point in it if there's no one strong." Kagami brought up a fist, clenching it tightly.

"It's better if I can't win!"

That sentence left Kise dumbfounded. Kagami walked past by him.

"We're just getting started. Don't you think it's a little too soon to be saying you won? Besides, I already know your weakness." That perked both Kise and Kia's interest. _What weakness?_

"It's all thanks to her." Kagami smirked at Mayumi who was on the bench. She returned the look as well, causing his smirk to widen. He stopped in front of a certain player while saying these words,

"With one look? What if you can't see it? Against a guy who's already invisible, it's already impossible. No matter how athletic you are, you'll never achieve an invisible basketball style. In other words," he put a hand on top of a certain blue haired player, causing him to let out a small grunt.

"This guy is your weakness, isn't it?"Kagami had smirked victoriously. Kuroko had stared at Kagami with a slightly dissatisfied look on his face, while Kise's eyes widened, forming a surprised look on his face. Kia was in the exact same state. Ayame had an eyebrow raised while Mayumi's bangs covered her eyes.

Kagami had started to laugh again, but Kuroko paid no attention to it. "What are you doing?"

The tension started to rise again. This time, they all felt it. Something big was going to happen, something that will change the tide of the match. They felt an uneasy feeling blossoming in their hearts. Mayumi felt a slightly dark smirk form on her face.

_Get prepared Kaijo. Seirin isn't over yet, no…_

_This is just the beginning._

**Next time on Kuroko no Basket: NEW!**

'_Hey Kise. This Kagami guy who's claimed to have found your weakness is getting on my nerves.'_

'_What does this change? He can't stop me.'_

'_Your attitude's getting on my nerves too.'_

'_Kuroko-cchi, Mayumi-cchi, the match is just starting.'_

'_Get ready Ryouta, because we're going to defeat you.'_

'_Go and try it, we'll be waiting!'_

**Kuroko no Basket: NEW! Chapter 5: Take care of the Counterattack!**

**So, how was it? Sorry for a being a late, I had a lot of schoolwork to keep up with. I thought about putting these small previews for the next chapter for fun so we'll be seeing more of these in the future!**

**If you liked it, please review!**

**~LunaricFairy12~**


	5. Chapter 5 Take Care of the Counterattack

**Kuroko no Basket: NEW!**

**Chapter 5: Take Care of the Counterattack!**

All the players stared unbelievably at Kagami, whose hand was still on Kuroko's head.

"Kagami's powerless against Kise, but his weakness is…" Hyuuga trailed off unbelievably. Riko was thinking the exact same thing as him too.

"Aside from passing, the weakest guy on the court, Kuroko-kun?" Riko's eyes were widened with surprise, but confusion was clear as well in them as well.

Kise stared unbelievably at the two. Kuroko seemed to be irritated, because he started to stare at Kagami with irritation clear in his eyes for being treated like a kid. Kise felt uncertainty taking over some parts of his mind, but he tried to shake it off and regain his composure.

"So?" Kuroko pushed Kagami's hand off his head, the latter not seeming to feel sorry.

"It's true that Kuroko-cchi's style is the only one I can't imitate. But what does that change?" Kise felt his confidence returning as his words seemed clearer to him. That's right, even if he can't copy Kuroko, it doesn't make it a difference. They have no way to catch up to him no matter they do.

He tried to convince himself of that.

But the strong gaze fixed on his back told him otherwise.

Feeling his gaze trail to Seirin's bench, he saw a sight that made his entire body freeze.

Mayumi's pupils were narrowed and hard, giving her a threatening look that scared everybody on the bench. The normal warm glow in her clear red eyes faded to something unclear. The aura surrounding her was so murky and faded in a way, like you couldn't tell what she was thinking no matter how hard you tried. She seemed to keep a strong, maybe even menacing, gaze on the blonde, causing a cold shiver to run up his spine.

'_It's not over yet…'_

She didn't seem to blink, but it seemed like she understood all his thoughts.

The whistle blew, interrupting his thoughts. "End of first quarter! Take a two minute break!"

Kagami seemed to have said something, but his thoughts were completely unfocused on the red head. As he jogged back to his bench slowly, he could only imagine those red eyes watching his every step.

Meanwhile, back with Seirin, most of the players were resting on the bench, the exception being Kuroko and Kagami. The aura that Mayumi had gave off scared all of them to death, but it seemed like the aura retreated, although Kuroko could still sense some of it. Walking to the black haired girl, he spoke up,

"Mayumi-chan."

But she didn't answer, not a single word was heard. She was facing downwards, her long bangs covering her eyes so he couldn't see her eyes, much less understand what she was thinking about. He tried again, this time being stronger than the last.

"Mayumi-chan."

Those words seemed to snap her out of her daze as she looked up to face Kuroko. Her eyes were darkened and sharpened, clouded with an emotion he couldn't seem to identify. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and faced the team with an air of confidence which made some wonder where the normally quiet and monotone girl went off to.

"I have a plan."

…

"I see." Riko pondered with a finger on her chin. "This would work! It looks like Kagami-kun has finally cooled down too."

"No," he denied it even though he himself knew that it was true. "I was always-"

"Really pissed!" Hyuuga, Izuki and Ayame interrupted him. Ayame stood up and put a finger on his chest.

"You were pissed right from the beginning!" She frowned, but he scowled. "I don't want to hear that from you!"

"Hah? Since when was I angry?"

"You were from the beginning! Your aura distracted me so much, I couldn't concentrate!" He brought his face closer to her. Those words struck a fire in her; she couldn't believe he said that even though he himself knew it wasn't true. It was like he was blaming her for his mistakes.

"Oh yeah, well I-" And they started bickering, causing some eyes to look at the bright color haired duo. Kuroko let out a small sigh and at the same time as Mayumi who seemed to have cooled down, stabbed both of them in the back.

"Calm down you two."

"Kuroko/Mayumi…" The two of them gave them scary looks that didn't seem to affect both of them in any way.

"Anyway, back to the topic," Riko sighed, massaging her forehead. "Kuroko-kun and Kagami-kun," The two of them focused their attention on the coach. "Your coordination will be the key. Can you do it?"

This caused an unsure look to appear on Kagami's face. "Well, we'll probably-"His hesitation made Kuroko and Mayumi stab him again, Mayumi stabbing his right side and Kuroko stabbing his left. This caused Kagami to cringe and hold both of his sides in pain.

"You bastards, where did that come from?" He gritted his teeth in pain. Mayumi and Kuroko didn't even seemed fazed.

"You want to beat him, don't you?"

Those words seemed to snap him out of his pain, and his serious look returned to his eyes. That's right, he wanted to beat him, he wanted to beat Kise Ryouta. He can't fail, no matter what the consequences were. He will beat Kise Ryouta, he will beat the 'Generation of Miracles.'

Letting out a small scoff, he returned the jab to both of them, causing them to wince in pain. "Of course I do."

Riko crossed her arms over her chest. "Well then,"

"Let the second quarter begin!" The referee blew the whistle.

"**Take care of the counterattack!**"

With those words in mind, they set off for the court.

Here we go.

There were cheers from the people who had come to watch the match. The other first years from Seirin tried to cheer as loudly as they could, not wanting to lose to the opponent.

The game had started again.

At the start, there was nothing special to note about. It was mostly Kise scoring points as Seirin tried to keep up. It was tough, but they managed it. However, the point gap between them had increased. Seirin had 29 points while Kaijo had 39.

"_Kaijo's defense is still man to man.'_ Hyuuga thought as he passed the ball around. Eventually, it landed into the waiting hands of Kagami, who was right in front of Kise. Kise felt something… Something about the red haired that made him more cautious than he was before.

"Something's changed, right?" Kagami gritted his teeth.

_I have to get pass him._

Summoning his strength into his body, he kicked the ground and took off, dribbling the ball. Kise was keeping up with him, not losing to his speed. Both of them seemed evenly matched, but that wasn't the case.

"_Just another drive? Maybe another fadeaway?" _These thoughts occupied Kise's mind as he ran beside Kagami. The red haired male showed no signs of what he was going to do next, surprising Kise when he made his move.

He directed the ball behind him, and it bounced off the ground, right into the hands of…

Kuroko.

By the time he had realized it, it was too late. Kuroko had curved the ball with a slight motion of his hands, passing it to Kagami once again as he passed Kise while Kise was distracted. He could feel his eyes widening with disbelief, his breath catching ever so slightly. Kia, who had watched this, was just as surprised as Kise.

'_Kagami is coordinating with Kuroko-cchi!'_

Kagami, who had passed Kise, jumped and scored easily, causing the spectators to stare in awe. Now, they were only 8 points away. Riko grinned as she and Ayame high fived each other. The other players were happy to know that their plan had worked.

The same situation happened again. Kagami had the ball with Kise following him. When he did the same trick, Kise was ready. Or, so he thought.

'_The same thing won't work twice!' _Kise attempted to steal the ball before it reached Kagami. To his surprise and more disbelief though…

It never came.

Instead, the ball went in a different direction, this time to Hyuuga. Surprised, all Kise could do was stare as the older teenager shot a three pointer. Even Kasamatsu was caught off guard, just like most of them so it wasn't hard for Hyuuga to make it in.

"All right! A three pointer!"

34:39, Seirin being the 34 and Kaijo being the 39. Only five points left, five points left before they caught up. Feeling smug for scoring a three pointer for the team, Hyuuga pushed up his glasses.

"Heh, have you changed your minds, 1st ye-" He turned around only to see that the first year duo plus Izuki was walking back, totally ignoring the black haired shooter.

"Nice!"

"All right, defense!" This caused Hyuuga to let out a sign of protest.

"Hey!"

"No.4's really going for it." Kobori commented. Kasamatsu had heard him as he was nearby, and said this in response, "We should be worried about Kagami. He and Kuroko have started passing back and forth to each other."

"Kagami just started passing the ball instead of just receiving it. Does that really change much?" Those words caused an already irritated Kasamatsu to scowl harder. "It changes a lot, idiot! Kuroko's passing and Kagami's one-on-one were two different offensive patterns. They only had two options to go with. But now that they started to pass to each other which means that they have more options, making their offense a whole lot stronger than before."

'_And Kise can't copy Kuroko too. It's his bane.' _Riko thought in satisfaction as she watched the match, her arms crossed over her chest. _'Kagami-kun and Kuroko-kun, with these two, we can-'_her train of thought was cut off by Kagami passing to Kuroko backwards, only to miss. Kasamatsu easily ran after the ball as the both of them stared at the ball, dumbfounded.

'_Well, we'll probably just barely make it. And still…' _Her brown eyes trailed to the black haired girl who was sitting beside Ayame, her clouded eyes focused completely on the match.

'_The normally quiet girl having such a scary expression… She was the one who thought of this plan and told us even though Kagami interrupted her a few times… She was never like this during practice either…' _Riko could feel her uneasiness for the other manager rising.

'_Just, who is she…? Who is Sanada Mayumi?'_

Harsh breaths. Rapid rising of chest as he breathed. His body was hunched down slightly as he gazed at a certain person on the Seirin bench.

Kise Ryouta felt irritation as he breathed. How could they… How could they pass him so easily? Just because they started to pass to each other, how could it change that much? No… She thought of it, there's no way it wouldn't work. He felt his eyes staring at Mayumi, before forcing himself to tear his gaze away.

"Kuroko-cchi… Mayumi-cchi…" He panted as he stood up straight, facing the blue haired player who was beside him. Kuroko stared at him with his usual monotone eyes, but Kise could see that he was more fired up than usual.

"Kise-kun, you're strong." Kuroko started emotionlessly. "I'm powerless, and Kagami-kun couldn't even hold his own against you. I think Mayumi-chan alone is not enough to stand against you as well. But when we work together…" Kagami could hear their conversation. After all, he was right in front of the two. Mayumi's ears picked up their conversation. Letting a small smile form on her lips, she gazed at the three main stars on the court. Kagami looked behind him and stared at the blonde just as Kuroko said these words,

"We can fight."

Kise, who was quiet the entire time Kuroko was speaking, actually scowled which surprised Kia greatly. The usual cheerful and happy blonde didn't scowl much, and she had only seen his scowl when he was totally serious or angry. "You really have changed, Kuroko-cchi. We never played basketball like this at Teiko, but…" He paused for a moment, before saying this line with confidence,

"You still can't stop me. I will be the winner!"

This definitely caused a spark to ignite in their chests. It was fiery, hot, and filled with determination. They didn't want to lose, they will win.

The ball flew through the air.

"It's true that I can't copy your coordination, but since your effectiveness can't last for 40 minutes, you'll lose this game in the second half!" Kise grabbed the orange ball that had headed towards him. His grip on the orange ball tightened, feeling the rough surface of the round object. Right after receiving the ball, his feet moved forward, determined to score.

However, like before, it didn't go as he planned.

"Not so fast."

Just as he moved, he felt his eyes widen considerably as the scene unfolded in front of the blonde's eyes.

Kuroko was right in front of him.

Seeing the blue haired player standing in front of him with a stance that clearly meant that he was trying to stop him, he felt himself hesitate, his body freezing to a stop. This… This can't be happening. There's no way he can stop me… Then why would he…

Those thoughts ran through his head as he had a stare down with the other player. "I never dreamed we'd play together like this, Kuroko-cchi." Hearing this statement, all Kuroko could do was reply to him.

"Neither did I."

"I don't know what you're up to, but," Kise crouched down, feeling his muscles tensing up and ready with his hands gripping the orange ball tightly. "But you can't stop me!" He took a step forward, and with absolutely no problem, he passed the shorter player in a flash. But there was another thing he wasn't expecting.

Kagami had moved while he wasn't paying attention, and had ended up being right behind Kuroko. Kagami smirked.

"Wrong. We're not going to stop you." As soon as that sentence left Kagami's mouth, Kise felt a shiver run up his spine. What was this feeling…? He had a bad feeling, a really really _bad _one. The grip on the ball tightened, trying to predict Kagami's next movement.

However, it wasn't Kagami who moved, oh, he was so wrong.

"We're gonna take it!"

The blonde found the ball being pushed out of his supposedly tight grip. His senses taking over with the sudden surprise and shock he was feeling, he was unable to react fast enough.

'_What? A back tip? They took advantage of the second I hesitated!'_

Kagami's voice entered his ears. "It doesn't matter how amazingly you play against us."

The ball was free as it flew through the air. Izuki, who was nearby, grabbed the ball and ran, he swore he had never run faster as his hand dribbled the ball. Kasamatsu had run after him as soon as the other boy moved, but was unable to catch up to him.

Kagami grinned. "We're _trying_ to let you through!"

The ball went in the goal as the whistle blew.

Mayumi felt herself smile. It wasn't a wide one, but a small subtle one that showed the proud feeling she felt as she watched the team play. They could catch up to Kaijo, they weren't going to lose. _'Not even Ryouta can react in time to an invisible guy coming up behind him.'_

She felt the pride swell even more as she saw the Kuroko and Kagami again.

"I just don't have to pass by you. No one said I couldn't shoot a three pointer!" Kise raised the ball and aimed for the goal. Putting power into his arms, he threw the ball, but it didn't even make it to the goal. It was blocked.

By who you may ask?

Kagami of course.

He put his hand on Kuroko's head and used him as a stepping stool to increase his height when he jumped. Pushing down with all his might, he reached higher and managed to block the ball just as Kise had released it.

Coming down, Kagami felt a victorious grin form on his face.

"Fast break!" he yelled as he ran. Kise, who wasn't ready to give up, turned viciously. He had to stop Kagami, he won't let him have the ball.

What happened next shocked everybody. Not just on the court, but outside of it too.

In the fast paced scene, Kise had forgotten about his surroundings. The moment he forced his body to turn, his hand had hit someone with all his power in it. That someone had taken the full brunt of his accidental attack, and fell to the ground, causing a loud 'thump!' to echo through the gym.

Mayumi felt her fists tighten, nails digging into the flesh of her palm as she felt her mouth run dry.

"Kuroko-kun!"

When Riko uttered those words, Mayumi could only feel worry and panic course through her veins. How could this happen… This wasn't supposed to happen…Feeling herself stand up, she ran towards the fallen player with all her might, not caring if anybody was looking at her.

"Time out!"

"Tetsuya-kun!" She was the first one to reach him, her mind sick with worry. "Are you okay? Please tell me you're okay!"

She bent down next to him on her knees, feeling the cold gym floor. She gently cupped the side of his face, her small, cold hands feeling the hot skin of his face. Gently moving his face, she tried to get a better view of his wound.

When she did though, she felt her heart stop and everything around her froze.

Red, warm blood flowed from the wound, ending at his chin. His forehead was bruised, and his right eye was closed as he attempted to stop the crimson liquid from going into his eye. Seeing his wounded appearance, all she could do was let out a small gasp in shock.

"Tetsuya-kun… Your forehead…" She let out a weak whisper as her hands grew weaker. The blue haired boy could only pull her hands gently away from his face as he stood up. Mayumi stood up also, though her legs were practically shaking.

"I feel lightheaded, but," Kuroko quickly added in order not to worry her more. "I'm fine."

"Kuroko! Mayumi!" Hyuuga and Kagami ran over to the two, but right now Mayumi couldn't access the fact that they were there. Right now she was focused solely on Kuroko. He was hurt. He wasn't okay no matter how much he tried to comfort her.

'_You…_' Mayumi's teeth sunk into her lip as she felt the shaking in her legs and hand stop. _'When you're not okay, you're not supposed to reassure the person who's worried sick about you…' _

She grabbed his hand, feeling the sweat that had wetted his hands. Pushing away all the thoughts in her head, she started to pull the basketball player to the bench, ignoring the surprised look in return.

"Mayumi-chan…"

"If you're not okay, don't try to say you are." Her voice shook a little, making Kuroko realize how much he had worried her. "Just let me help you." Her voice cracked a little at the end, but she willed herself not to cry. She had to stay strong.

Kuroko felt his conscience drifting farther away. In all honesty, even walking like that made his head pound with every step he took. He took a shaky breath and whispered a word only the black haired manager could hear.

"Sorry."

It went black as the last thing he saw was ruby red eyes clouded with worry, and something small and warm catching him before he hit the ground.

…

While the match continued in the Kaijo gym, there was something else that was occurring right now. That something was happening the quiet roads that stretched through the town that Kaijo High school was in. Kids, that were nearby, stared at the extremely odd scene unfolding right in front of them.

"Hah… hah…" A black haired boy panted tiredly as he pedaled upwards on a bike. He was already worn out and felt like his feet were going to fall off any second. The bike he was pedaling however was no ordinary bike. It was attached to a big cart that usually weren't seen just anywhere, and two people were riding in it. "Damn it, we were supposed to trade at the signal."

A small kid blinked as the huge cart passed by him. "It's a rear car."

"Hah…Hah…" The boy breathed out, completely exhausted. His ragged breathing only got worse as his feet moved. "You… You haven't pedaled once!"

One of the figures in the rear car scoffed. "Of course I haven't. Today's "Oha-Asa" horoscope predicted the greatest of days for Cancers like me." He remarked casually, not sparing even a glance for the black haired boy. His green hair stood out from normal people, and with one look people could tell that he was really tall, taller than a lot of people that were his age.

"What does that have to with this?!" The pedaling figure exhaled irritably. "Putting Shin-chan aside, I can't believe that Mika-chan is riding too!" He huffed, completely irritated. At the green haired boy or at the second figure, he didn't know.

"Sorry Takao." The second figure apologized in a cool tone. "Midorima told me to get in. I didn't know he was going to Kaijo out of all things." The second one was obviously a female judging from her voice and her appearance. She, like the green haired boy, was taller than most females her age, but not too tall to be considered a giant like the person next to her. Her long aqua green hair tied in pigtails swayed lightly in the breeze as they moved forward. She glanced at the green haired teen. "Especially because of _them_."

"Oh, forget it." He grumbled, sighing heavily. "Anyway, if we're coming all the way out here to watch a practice match, your middle school teammates better be good!"

"It's the copycat and the invisible one." The green haired male said in a calm tone that showed no signs of emotion. Putting the can that was filled with his favorite drink to his lips, he took a small sip before letting out a small, but satisfied sigh.

"Don't forget the healer and strategy planner." The one called Mika added on, casually leaning backwards.

"Are they good?"

"Forget about that, hurry up Takao." Mika scolded him lightly. "The game will be over."

This caused an irk mark to appear on the teen called Takao's face. "It's because Shin-chan was reading those damn horoscopes!" His angered voice echoed through the silent town.

…

The next time he woke up, he heard the bouncing of a ball and the squeaking of shoes against the cold floor.

He couldn't seem to recall anything that had happened. It was all hazy, like when you have a weird dream the night before but couldn't seem to remember it the next day. His head was pounding, and the headache that attacked him was nothing to laugh at.

He opened his light blue eyes blearily, only to find himself lying on some kind of blue sheet. His vision was still blurry. Letting out a small grunt, he turned his head and looked to the side to find a bench. People were sitting on it, and if he looked closer he could recognize some of them.

He focused harder.

One person seemed to stand out more than the others. It was a girl with black hair. She seemed to be mumbling something, something he couldn't quite make out.

"I'm going to check on Tetsuya-kun." A soft voice that sounded very familiar to him. She turned and he saw her face.

Red eyes.

Everything came flooding back to him in an instant. That's right, he remembered now. He was in the middle of a match between Kaijo and Seirin. If he recalled correctly, Kise had turned and accidently hit him with full power, causing him to bleed and lose conscious. He moved his hand shakily to touch his forehead. To his surprise, there were bandages wrapped around it. Someone must have treated him.

"Kia did."

A soft, gentle voice flooded into his ears. He looked up slightly to see that Mayumi was kneeling beside him. She gave him a small smile.

"Good morning."

"How… did…" he croaked out, surprised at his lack of voice. She shook her head.

"Don't push yourself. After you went unconscious, I carried you here. Kia dropped in soon after and offered to treat you." She explained. "You should feel better soon. Here, water." She handed him an orange bottle and he took it gratefully. He gulped down the water as he started to hear other voices clearly. His head was feeling less pain, and his body no longer ached as much as it did before. He supposed he had to thank Kia for her help later. But just then, someone said one sentence that struck him the most.

"If only we had Kuroko-kun…" It was coach's voice.

What was he doing? Here he was resting and taking it easy although his teammates were in trouble. Granted, he didn't feel so well, but by the tone that coach was using, they were in bigger trouble than he was. He had to go. He had to make the flow of the game change. If anything could change just because he was playing, he'll be glad to do it.

Feeling a sense of sudden determination flowing into his veins, he put the bright orange bottle down and took a deep breath. "I understand." Putting his hands on the sheet, he pushed his body up and willed himself to stand. Mayumi had grabbed his arm when he stumbled a bit, so now he was able to stand up straight. His right eye closed and left eye open, his appearance caused everyone to worry.

"I'll be going, then." He said in a monotone voice and began to walk towards the court, though was stopped by Riko who waved her hands around in desperation.

"Hey wait! What are you talking about?" She asked, panicked.

"But you just told me to go." Kuroko replied to her question, as if there wasnothing wrong with what he was doing now.

Riko frowned. "I didn't! It just slipped out." She answered him, fully kept on making him rest so that nothing would happen to him. Even so, Kuroko didn't care.

"Then I'll go."

"Hey!"

"If I can change anything by going out there, please. I'm feeling much better because of Hirai-san too." Kuroko said, opening his right eye. "Besides…" Mayumi's eyes grew sad as she heard his next words. She knew what he was going to say, and she didn't like it.

"I promised Kagami-kun that I would be his shadow."

He would always put others before himself. He would never betray a friend, and will always keep a promise when he makes one. That small little trait of him, the trait that struck Mayumi the most, would always be the one that made her love him, or hate him. But she knew that she would have no choice. When he was determined to do something, he would be even more stubborn than anyone.

"…" Riko bit her lip in deep thought. She was hesitant to send the blue haired player out. She didn't want him to get even more hurt than he was, as a coach she was always worried about her players.

"..Coach." Mayumi spoke up tentatively, as if the next words she said were going to burn her. "I think we should let him play."

"What?!" In a second, she whirled to Mayumi. "How can you say that?! He's hurt and aren't you worried?!" Mayumi frowned at that.

"I am. But, I've been by his side for three years and I know," She glanced at the player who was staring at her, surprise evident in his light blue eyes. "That when he puts his mind to something, he won't budge." She took a deep breath and stared at Riko. "I trust him."

"…" Riko faltered. Her eyes showed hesitation, but Mayumi got the feeling that Riko understood too.

"…Okay." Riko sighed, closing her eyes before opening them, all signs of hesitation gone. "But if I think you're in trouble, I'm switching you out immediately."

The whistle blew, and he was in the game again.

He walked to the court, trading with Koganei.

His eyes met with Kagami's as the taller player just stared down at him.

Only three words were exchanged.

"Let's go."

"…Hai."

The game started once again. Mayumi couldn't help but wonder as he watched him play. He seemed so free, like nothing else mattered when it came to basketball. He always referred himself to a shadow, but how ironic that to her he seemed like the light that shined through when his teammates needed him.

_He looks happy._

Seirin was catching up to Kaijo, not losing to their pace. The game had changed drastically when the blue haired player entered, making the tables flip once again. The moment came when Hyuuga had shot a three pointer, and it landed successfully in.

82 versus 82.

They were tied.

Kia couldn't believe her eyes. They were tied? Was that possible? How could they be possibly be tied to Seirin? She couldn't overcome the shock that had overwhelmed her, making her body freeze with worry and uncertainness.

_Is it… Is it over? _

Then it came.

It was too sudden, but they all expected it. They just never expected it to happen now.

The sudden change in the atmosphere. The strong, almost suffocating aura swallowed them, and they all turned to the source.

It was him, Kise Ryouta. His eyes were covered by his bangs, and he seemed lifeless. Just standing there, without any signs of moving. But, they all knew it wasn't the case.

"Kise!" Kasamatsu had thrown the ball to the blonde, and it started.

Moving fast, almost too fast for anyone of them to see, he grabbed the ball and raced past Kuroko, his footsteps not making a sound. It was too fast even for the blue haired player to comprehend, so all he could do was stand there helplessly, eyes widened.

"Kuroko!"

Kagami's voice had brought him back, and he turned, hand stretched, in order to steal the ball. Kise, however, did not let that happen.

In a flash, he bounced the ball and it went from his right hand to his left.

Taking the chance, he dashed past by the first year duo, and jumped, slamming the ball into the hopp with all the power he had. He had landed gracefully, unknowingly capturing Kia's eyes and everyone's who were watching.

_He's too amazing…_

He stood up without even a pant, sweat dripping from his face. The ball landing onto the ground with a loud bounce, all he said was this,

"I won't lose. Not to anyone…Not even Kuroko-cchi."

Mayumi stared at the scene, hands trembling as she watched. He grew stronger, that was the only explanation. How, she wasn't sure. But all she knew...

"This isn't good." Hyuuga panted as he wiped his sweat with his shirt. "Give it your all everyone. This'll be just like the first quarter from here on. A battle of points, run and gun match!"

Seirin cheered loudly, but somehow, desperately. The team was trying hard, they weren't giving in, and they weren't ever going to give up. They managed to be tied with Kaijo again, though barely.

Time was running out.

Mayumi bit her lip, worry evident in her eyes. Ayame, who was sitting next to her, kept fumbling around, like she couldn't stand sitting here when they were in a dire situation.

_There was one more thing that we can do that he can't copy._

Both Kuroko and Mayumi realized that.

It was simple, but it would work. They had to make it work. So they put it in action.

Kasamatsu had the ball. Hyuuga was in front of him and he was doing his best to defend. It wasn't enough though, the other captain had jumped and was ready to shoot. Of course the black haired player had tried to jump as well, but his body wouldn't react to his thoughts.

He didn't need to worry though.

Kagami had jumped from behind and knocked the ball out of Kasamatsu's hands. It all happened so suddenly, Kasamatsu couldn't react fast enough.

The ball landed in Hyuuga's hands.

There was only one thing left to do.

Summoning all his strength, he threw the ball towards them.

Their only hope to win right now.

Kagami grabbed the ball and dribbled, Kuroko following close behind him.

"Don't let them through!" Kasamatsu had shouted, though they could only concentrate on what was in front of them.

Kise stood before them, in a form that showed that he was ready to block anything they throw his way. His eyes were sharp and calculating, as if he was digging into their mind to reveal their plan. None of that had any effect on the duo; they couldn't hesitate after coming so far.

They worked hard to win this match, and damn it if they were going to lose now.

"Kuroko!" Kagami passed the ball to Kuroko.

Kise turned around, eyes wide. Kagami had passed to Kuroko, which only meant he had to pass back. They all knew Kuroko couldn't shoot, so there was no way he would. All he had to do was pass to Kagami who would dunk, so all Kise had to do was to block Kagami and get the ball.

Yes, that was all he needed to do.

It will work; he had no doubt of that.

But, things don't always go the way we plan… do they?

Kuroko shot the ball with two seconds left on the clock. Paralyzed, all the blonde could do was watch helplessly as the ball soared through the air.

_Two seconds…_

Kagami jumped in order to catch the shot ball. It was then Kise came to his senses as well.

"I won't let you!" He shouted with vigor and jumped with all his might. It might've been her imagination, but Mayumi swore that the two of them were floating in midair, trapped in a space where only three things existed, the ball, and the two of them.

_One second…_

But…

They all couldn't believe their eyes. But the one who couldn't stand to watch… was Kia. Her hand was over her mouth, eyes glittering and she was shaking ever so slightly. She knew, they all knew. Mayumi couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face, nor could Ayame stop the huge grin that seemed to spread through her face.

Although, Kise and Kagami jumped the same time the one falling first was Kise. He himself couldn't believe it either, the 'Generation of Miracles', losing?! That was impossible, that was impossible… And yet, the scene happening in front of him defied everything he thought.

"I don't need you to return the favor." Kagami panted tiredly, though successfully grabbing the ball.

"Because…"

_The plan is simple. We just have to score a buzzer beater._

"This ends now!"

He slammed the rough orange ball into the hoop with a smile on his face.

_Beep!_

* * *

**Next time on Kuroko no Basket: NEW!**

_**Kuroko-cchi, Mayumi-cchi, we have to ask you something. **_

_**Why did the two of you disappear then?**_

_**We get that a lot.**_

_**That's not what we meant!**_

_**We're… not sure.**_

_**All I know is I hated basketball at that time.**_

_**Tetsuya-kun…**_

**Next time, Chapter 6: Your Basketball**

* * *

**Sorry for the really long wait! I had a lot of stuff going on…**

**I hope to anybody who's reading this, will continue reading! Review if you liked it please!**

**~LunaricFairy12~**


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